Unravel
by TangentDream2
Summary: A lot can change when you're away for months. Sonic finds this out the hard way when he finds himself fighting against Shadow for his family.
1. Beautiful Goodbye

Sonic: 22

Amy: 20

* * *

Chapter One: Beautiful Goodbye

He probably wasn't thinking straight. Actually, he was sure he wasn't thinking straight. His conscious voice had been chiming thoughts of reconciliation to him ever since he ventured into the night but he still chose to go against it.

Had he been thinking logically. He would have told everyone his plans as soon as he was given the objective and allowed them to enjoy what could possibly be the final days with him. Instead, he kept it all to himself and left the good-byes til the very last day to be as quick and painless as possible. It also allowed him some time to come to terms with his destiny and spend his final days surrounded by all his friends.

It was selfish. He knew that. But it was hard enough having to leave. It was even harder to think of them getting all teary over his departure. Most of all, it was hard to accept his fate.

A week prior, he had been summoned by the mayor in regards to an urgent threat that had been unleashed into the world. Eggman had created the ultimate weapon. A creature he called Infinite. A creature with the power to destroy the planet. Said to kill anyone in its path.

At first, his attitude could not be shaken. His countless victories against the mad doctor gave him enough confidence that this would just be another ordinary battle. That's what he believed until he given the photographs of the massacre caused by this thing. Blood stained the streets along with the numerous dead bodies. Cities once renown for their thriving civilisations had been reduced to rubble and smoke. This creature, followed by an overwhelming amount of robots had laid waste to the land, leaving nothing but destruction and chaos.

And to make things more difficult for the blue hedgehog, he was given a message by the doctor. The message stating that he would have to face Infinite alone. Any assistance from his team and the blood of the people would be in his hands.

It was a death sentence. He alone versus Eggman's creation and, most probably, his entire robot army. No doubt he wouldn't survive that.

That's when he felt it. Like a tsunami of time crashing down on him and swallowing him whole. The suffocation from the waves of the abyss. This may very well have been his last days and for once, time was against him.

He had been so naive. Believing he would have all the time in the world to do whatever he wanted to do.

That's wasn't the case.

Now, he was forced to throw logic out the window and at least do something he felt was the right way to go.

The hedgehog let out a shaky breath filled with nerves. He stood in front of his close friend's door, second guessing his decision. His conscious still screamed at him to think his choices through rationally. His intentions were far too sudden. Irrational. Out of the blue. But if this was his last opportunity, were there really any repercussions to think about?

He convinced himself he was doing this for her. That the girl deserved to have her final moments with him after years of chasing him. He was likely to die during this mission so the least he could do is let off some steam with her.

No, let her have a final night with him.

Ah, who was he kidding? He was going there to vent. Vent his nerves and frustrations out in a more physical form.

Or at least, that was the surface reason. He knew he could have gone to a lot of women to do this with and yet, he was outside Amy's door. Maybe it was because he knew she would do it. Maybe because he knew it would mean a little more than meaningless sex if it was with her. Either way, he stood outside her door, hesitant to knock.

Was it right to go to her now, at dusk, dropping a massive bombshell on her and then expecting her to let him into her bed? Probably not. It was extremely selfish. More selfish than keeping the whole war thing to himself. This girl claimed to love him after all and only now was he willing to return any form of affection just as he had to leave for what may be the last time.

But she would probably hate him if he left her without anything to remember him by.

His hand slowly reached upwards and knocked on her door. Silently, he waited for her to open the door and allow him in. His heart pounded against his chest knowing he'd have to deal with the most heart wrenching scene with her crying, screaming, yelling at him. Begging him to not leave her and probably try to get him to reconsider going alone. Tails and Knuckles, though saddened by the news, had taken the news rather well. A few moments of stray tears and a couple of bro hugs but still rather chill than how he expected her to react.

Would he be able to handle her emotions? Enough to want to sleep with her? Ah, perhaps this was what rational thinking would have thought about. Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

He shook his head, feeling stupid for even thinking about doing this to her. Spinning on his heel, he began to walk away from her house. He'd just come to her in the morning right before he had to leave. Keep it short.

The light within her home illuminated the ground around him, stopping him in his tracks. He tensed up, knowing she had opened the door and caught him on her pathway. "Sonic?" She asked, curious as to why he was outside her house so late.

Well. There was no going back now. He turned around slowly. Bashfully rubbing the tip of his nose. "Hey Amy..."

She rubbed her eyes. "What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night."

He walked towards her slowly. His stomach churning with nerves. "Can I come in?"

She stared at him, dumbfounded. His visits to her house were rare. Legendary in the night. He could see her breathing becoming more rash, as if her heart was pounding as much as his. "Of course." She stepped aside, allowing him to walk in. She closed the door behind him and guided him to the sofa. Thanking her with a head nod, he sat down. She stood nearby, awkwardly bouncing with anxiety. "Did you want a drink?"

"Uh, I'm good." He insisted. She stood near the edge of the sofa, most likely contemplating what to do with herself. "You can sit next to me you know..." He told the girl.

"Oh, right. Sorry." She took a seat next to him, crossing her slender legs. He noticed how her leg bounced on her knee. Was she really that nervous? "So, what brings you here, Sonic?"

Ah right. He needed to tell her the news. Now he wasn't sure what to do with himself. Did he look her in the eye and just come out with it? Take her hand and then tell her?

"Sonic?"

He cleared his throat. "I have some news..." That was a good start at least. She nodded in response to him, not wanting to interrupt. He sighed heavily. Why was this so hard? It was so much easier telling the others. She looked so innocently inquisitive of his news. It hurt knowing he was about to unintentionally break her heart. "I..." He dared to look her in the eye, immediately regretting it. "I have to go away for awhile."

She blinked a few times. Processing what he was saying. "Like a trip?"

As much as he wanted to agree, he knew he couldn't lie to her now. Not with mere hours to spare. He gave her a weak smile. "To war."

The pink hedgehog looked away from him, shaking her head in disbelief. "I don't understand. I mean it's quite short notice but I guess we can go. Did you tell the others?"

He grimaced as his felt pressure on his chest. "Amy..." He looked down at his shiny shoes. "_I'm_ going to war. No one else. I have to do this alone."

It seemed as if she was in a state of denial. She quickly got up from her seat and walked towards the stairs. "Don't worry Sonic. I'll be ready to go with you soon. Just need to get dressed." She began to walk up the stairs to her bedroom.

"Amy." Sonic got up and followed her to the stairs. He grabbed her hand before she could get up the stairs. He stared at her, hoping she would come to her senses. Her eyes glazed with tears as she looked back at him. Slowly she began to breakdown as the realisation came to her. "I'm sorry." His voice was barely audible.

She pulled her hand away from his. "No. No, you can't go. Not on your own. We're supposed to be a team."

"I know but there's nothing I can do. Eggman's create this... thing and he's already taken over the other side of the world with it. He wants me to fight his creation one on one. Otherwise he's going to kill everybody. I can't allow that."

"That doesn't stop us from helping you."

"It does. He told me that if I bought anyone to help take him down, the blood of the people would be in my hands. I can't risk anymore lives. He's taken far too many."

"So what's going to happen? You're just gonna go there all alone and believe that he won't ambush you with an entire army of robots?" He remained silent, momentarily staring at her before looking down. She gasped, feeling her heart clench as the tears rolled down her cheeks. "You already think that, don't you? Y-you already expect him to double cross you and even kill you." He said nothing, knowing she was right. "Sonic!"

"Look. I'm sorry alright? If there was another way, I'd do it."

She looked away from him, harshly wiping the tears away from her eyes. "So you came to say goodbye." Tears gushed from her eyes once more. "Y-you can't" her voice broke. "Please don't leave me, Sonic." She fell to her to the step on the stairs, looking up at the blue hero. "I-I'll come with you. I'll stay out of the way. I'll do anything you want. Just don't leave me behind." She sobbed, grabbing his hand and holding it tightly.

His eyes remained closed. He couldn't bare to see her grovelling in front of him, begging him to stay. No amount of preparation helped him through this ordeal. Hearing her sobs made his heart pang and knowing he had to leave her in such a state was even more painful.

Though he had to be her hero. Just one more time. Kneeling in front of the bawling woman, he embraced her, allowing her to cry into his chest. "Hey now. It'll be alright." He soothed her.

"Then you'll come back." She pulled away slightly to see his face. "If everything is going to be alright, you'll come back to all of us. Won't you?" Her gaze was intense. Teary eyes refusing to blink as she awaited for him to feed her false promises.

Again, he gave her a weak smile. He really couldn't afford to make her such promises. The likelihood of surviving was at miracle level and the last thing he wanted was for her to waste her life waiting on him to return.

Oh wow. This was really his last time he was going to see her. See any one of his friends. He told himself so many times what was likely to happen and yet, it wasn't until now, in this moment, holding the distraught woman in his arms, he realised he would never see her or his friends again.

Tears fell down his cheeks despite the smile on his face. His hands gently caressed her arms, memorising the feel of her soft skin. "You." His breath was shaky. Holding back his emotions. "You are gonna have the most amazing life. You're gonna meet somebody who worships you. You'll have the cutest babies and you will be happy."

"No. No don't say that. Don't prepare me for a life without you." Her hands reached up and touch his face, wiping away stray tears. "I don't need a husband. I don't even need children. I just need you, Sonic. Just please don't go." Her voice squeaked as her voice broke with emotion.

"We both know that's not what you want." He rested his forehead against hers. Her bangs tickling his head softly. "I don't want you wasting your life waiting for me."

"That's my choice."

"Amy..."

"No Sonic!" He unintentionally shouted at him, pulling away from his embrace. She took a moment to compose herself. "Ever since I was a child, I have loved you. For years, I have pronounced my adoration for you, my devotion. And even after all those times you ran away from me, I never lost hope in one day being your lover, your wife. The mother of your children. I still hold that same hope. No one. Not even you will make me loss my faith in that."

He was silent. Stunned into a state of awe and slight unease. Amy was the definition of determined. Years of dedication to him and him only and received little to nothing back in return. He bit his lip. If he had another chance, he would give her the attention she deserves. Resting his forehead against hers again, he hopelessly chuckled. "Geez Ames. I don't deserve you." A slight blush heated his cheeks. Those nerves that tormented him earlier had disappeared from his mind. He didn't have time to let his bashfulness or his ego take over. Raising his head slightly, he kissed her forehead lightly. He could feel her body jolt, as if surprised by the foreign affection from him.

She slowly looked up at him. Her eyes still glazed with her tears. She looked deep into his eyes, moving closer to him. She was probably looking for any protest from him. He returned her gaze, showing his lack of objection. She had waited so long for this. He had to be the one giving her what she needed. At least once, she could feel that her faith wasn't in vain. His hand rested on her face, gently rubbing his thumb against her tear stained cheek. Slowly, he leaned in and bridged the gap between their lips.

A simple kiss is how it could have been described. One without lust or uncontrollable passion. A tender kiss containing grief, acceptance and adoration. He took in the warmth of her lips, the minor high he was getting from the release of pleasure hormones and of course, the love that she held for him. Her hands clinged to his hand that was against her cheek, possibly fearing he would fade away any second.

He reluctantly broke the kiss. Slight disappointment brushed over him having the kiss end so soon. It had to be less than a minute. Those few seconds he knew he would treasure.

Her hands reached up into his quills, desperately yet gently pulling and playing with them. "Do you have to go now or do you still have time?" Her eyes were shifting from his lips to his eyes.

As if reading her mind, he rested his hands on her small hips, first mentally questioning himself like he should have before arriving. She was inviting him to stay the night with her. He could leave now and know she would be content with the kiss and the hope she held for his safe return. Or he could give her the final moments of affection she had yearned for all these years and leave with neither of them carrying regrets.

He knew what he wanted.

"I've got until dawn." He told her. She smiled bittersweet and removed her hands from his quills, allowing one of her hands to grasp his.

"Come with me." She whispered, leading him up the stairs to her bedroom. He was more than happy to oblige. Following the pink hedgehog, he closed the bedroom door behind him, sharing his final moments with her without any regret.

* * *

He watched the sun rise from her window sill. Sitting with one leg spread out and the other close to his chest. His arm resting against his knee. He sighed to himself. The beautiful arrival of the sun had always been such a moment he enjoyed. Now, it was his symbol for game over.

Looking over to the sleeping female in the bed, he couldn't help but smile. She looked so peaceful. The pain of the hours prior removed from her as she slept contently. He felt like he made the right choice to stay with her. She would never forget their last hours together.

He certainly wouldn't anyway.

Carefully, he got down from the window sill and collected his usual attire; gloves, sock and shoes, all scattered around her room in the midst of the blissful time together. Once dressed, he gave her a final smile, deciding it was best to leave her to sleep. He turned towards the door but stopped as he was about to open it. Maybe one final kiss on her forehead to say goodbye at least.

Leaning over, he kissed her forehead. Success, she didn't wake up. Satisfied, he slowly withdrew from the woman, only to be startled by her reaching up and stroking his cheek.

"Until I hear otherwise, I will wait for you. Sonic The Hedgehog." She whispered to him.

He was blushing, surprised by her waking up so abruptly and her words. He didn't say anything, knowing his own fate. Let the girl keep her faith. She would come to terms in her own time.

With a final peck on her soft lips, he made his way to the door again. He turned to her again, holding his bittersweet smile on his face as he slowly closed the door to the life he was leaving behind.


	2. Here's to Life

Sonic: 23

Amy: 21

Tails: 16

Cream: 15

Knuckles 24

* * *

Chapter Two: Here's to Life

A miracle. A sheer miracle was the only way he could describe surviving the most intensely brutal fight he had ever faced. It felt like an eternity. Continuously fighting with very little to no breaks in between. He barely had time to find something to eat or drink in the baron waste that remained of the cities. And sleeping? He had forgotten the last time he had a proper night's sleep throughout the war. Combine all the factors he was missing in order to function enough to fight; well rested mind and body, food and water. He honestly couldn't fathom how he defeated Infinite.

On Infinite's defeat, the hedgehog used the last of his power, along with the rest of energy in the chaos emeralds to take down the rest of Eggman's robots. Eggman himself had managed to retreat, sustaining a few injuries that were likely to keep him at bay for some time.

After ultimately winning the war, Sonic staggered his way to the nearest civilisation. He walked for miles, hardly having the energy to run. The journey became too much for him and he collapsed with exhaustion. He believed he would have died right there if he hadn't been rescued by soldiers. He had been taken to a military outpost where his wounds were treated, he was fed well, he was finally able to bathe the blood and mud out of his matted fur and was able recuperate. During his time there, he discovered he had only been away for 10 months.

It was laughable. A mere few months ago, he was saying goodbye to his friends. Preparing them to live a life without him. And here he was, gradually recovering and on his way back home.

He thanked Amy for his success in surviving. Her faith in him gave him the determination to carry on the fight even when he could barely stand. The constant reminder that he had people waiting for him to return was enough for him to strive for victory.

On the other hand, it left the awkward encounter of seeing her again and having to confront her on what happened between them and what they would do going forward. The war gave him little time to contemplate any feelings on a deep level. He could only think about that one night with her. Remembering her touch, her sounds, her taste. It comforted him to sleep. Only, that was the thing. It was supposed to be a thing he'd carry in his dreams until his final rest. Now that wasn't happening, the reality was, he slept with his biggest, devoted fan and the sequel to that night waited for him when he saw her again.

Which is why he chose to see his best buddy instead.

Speeding through the hills and forests, he took a deep breath and sighed contently. It was one of the little things he missed so much. Being able to run freely, take in the crisp, fresh air into his lungs, see a beautiful blue sky instead of a blood tainted red one. He simply missed running.

He stopped near Tails' workshop, taking a moment to look at the big building. It hardly changed. He didn't know why he expected it to, after all it had only been 10 months. If anything, it was like he was away on a long trip. It was quite refreshing to come back to some normality. Allowing himself in, the blue hedgehog peaked round the corner, passed the various crates of resources Tails had gathered over the years and looked around for his friend.

Tails had been underneath his plane, fixing the engine. He was completely oblivious to his arrival. Did he go over and tap the fox? Call his name? As much as he wanted to be cool about his unexpected presence, he didn't want the poor guy thinking he was seeing a ghost.

Before he could decide, Tails appeared from under the plane, covered in oil. He got up and was just about to grab another tool from his toolbox when a shade of familiar blue caught his eye. Looking towards the hedgehog, his eyes widened. "Sonic?"

"Hey bud. What's up?" He gave a brief wave. Was that too casual? Eh, it would have to do.

Overjoyed, the fox flew over to the blue hedgehog, grabbing him and pulling him into a brotherly hug. "You're alive! You're really alive!" He patted the hedgehog's back, reassuring himself that he wasn't hallucinating.

"Guess you can't get rid of me that easily, huh?" He mused.

The fox released his best friend from the hug, resting his hand on his shoulder. "I can't believe it. You're really here. We tried tracking you for awhile but once we completely lost signal, we could only assume the worse. Communication to the other side of the world was shut off after the loss of all the major cities. We really thought you were gone."

"I gotta be honest with you, bud. I didn't think I was gonna make it. That Infinite guy was a whole new level of powerful. It's quite a miracle I got out of there in one piece!"

"That's rough. Suppose you got a lot of stories to tell about it too. I'll go make drinks and you can tell me about it then." He gestured for the hedgehog to follow him up the stairs and to his living accommodations to go and catch up in his kitchen. Nodding the hedgehog followed the fox. The tale would require a drink or two.

* * *

"Man. That is rough. How are you feeling after all that? You do appear to look just as I remember you." Tails was stunned from hearing the story of the war.

It was true. Other than a bit of weight loss and a few minor cuts, now healing, he looked unscathed. He was grateful to not lose his handsome features. Heck, he was grateful to be still breathing.

"I feel a lot better, that's for sure. But enough about me. What's been happening with you? Well, with everybody?" He took a sip of the lemonade Tails had given him.

A blush appeared on the fox's cheeks. "Well... Cream and I are dating."

His ears perked up, eyes darting to the fox as he slowly lowered his drink. He grinned. "Way to go dude! How did that happen?"

He scratched his ear awkwardly. "What with everyone thinking you were gone, Cream and I turned to each other in our grief. We got closer and the rest is history."

Sonic smirked. "Guess you can say I'm a match maker."

"You really are! Knuckles and Rouge have, pretty much, the same story. They're together too."

At least some good came out of his absence. He was glad his friends found happiness in one another. But that only left one particular person in his mind. "And what about Amy? Is she okay?" Apart of him felt anxious that maybe she had moved on too. That was what he wanted for her originally anyway. Plus, it would make the whole 'where is this going' thing go away.

Tails was silent. Blinking consistently at the question. "You mean, you haven't gone to see her yet?"

He raised an eyebrow. Answering his question with another question? Why wasn't he being as straight forward with that answer compared to the other answers he'd given? "Not yet... Why? What's happened?"

"Uh, nothing." He sipped his lemonade, avoiding eye contact. He seemed to pause for a minute. Thinking to himself as he placed the drink back onto the table. "Maybe it's best you go see her. Better coming from her, you know?"

"Tails...?"

"Hey Tails! Gotta min--"

Looking over his shoulder towards the familiar voice, a grin appeared on his face. "Hey there Knuckles. Long time no see."

"You're alive?" The echidna stared at him, not believing his eyes.

"What gave it away?" He teased him. Getting up from his seat, he hugged his old friend. "Good to see you man."

"Right back at'cha." He patted the hedgehog's back in a brotherly manner. "This is huge! Have you seen Amy already?" Tails gave him a expression to keep quiet.

He stepped back from the red echidna, crossing his arms. "Okay, what's happening with Amy?"

"Oh nothing. Just thought you'd go see her, that's all."

Perhaps she told them about that night. Guess he couldn't blame her too much. She finally got to have him all to herself, if he was dead, it wouldn't have mattered who she told.

Still, his friends were acting highly suspicious. Shrugging it off, he gave Knuckles a smile. "So you and Rouge. How's that going?"

"Alright, you know. Can't complain." His answer was rather simple. Infact, Tails' answer about his relationship was rather simple too. Had something major happened that they weren't telling him?

Only way to find out was to see what the fuss was about was to speak to Amy.

"Well. I'm gonna take off. Gotta let Amy know I'm back before she kills me for not seeing her." His friend had rather big smiles on their faces. Too big to be considered normal for them. Something had to be up. "Later guys!"

"Later Sonic!"

"Congrats!" Knuckles said just loud enough for Sonic to hear. Tails nudged him, frowning at the older male.

What was he congratulating him for?

* * *

He was walking into fire. Diving head first into the blaze. He had to go see her eventually but no amount of time could prepare him for it. His nerves were screaming. His conscious copying that. There was no telling how this was going to go. She would most likely leap into his arms, smother him in kisses and tell him how much she loved him.

Thoughts of her kissing him filled his mind. He could feel the sensation of her lips against his. How she would dominate his own pair with hers so passionately yet so tenderly.

Maybe seeing her again wouldn't be all that bad.

Standing outside her door, he found himself once again jittering with nerves like he had been all those months ago. Back then, he had the excuse of dying to be bold with his actions. Now he had nothing. What was he going to say exactly? That he was back now and they could still be friends?

There was a reason why his conscious had told him to reconsider. If only his conscious would have told him he would have survived.

He sighed, knocking on the front door and accepting his fate. If he wasn't going to die in war, he would die from a hammer to the head.

"Did you get the wipes, Shad?" Amy opened the door, not fully paying attention. She looked up to see her blue hero staring back at her. She was mesmerised, not saying a word and not daring to blink in case her image of him would fade from her eyes. "S-Sonic." She breathed out.

Wow. She had a transformation in the months he was gone. Her quills had grown dramatically, cascading down her back. Her figure appeared to be more fuller. Only slightly. It made her look more womanly compared to her small frame she had before he left. Her former red dress was out of sight too, replaced with a white blouse and purple midi skirt. Cute. Just as she always had been but this time, a more mature flare to her.

"Hey Ames." He gave her a wave.

Her eyes refused to leave him. Slowly she stepped in front of him, her hand gently touching his face. He was real. He was alive. He was standing right in front of her. She gasp, covering her mouth as the tears sprang from her eyes. "You're alive."

"That I am. Did you miss me?" He gave her his signature smirk, hoping his light-hearted approach would release some tension.

She wasn't as hyperactive as he expected her to be on arrival. Instead of throwing her arms around him, she had a smile on her face, tears staining her cheeks. She stepped back, moving to the side to allow him into her home. He couldn't help but notice how her attention was switching from him, to the stairs. "Do you want to come in?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure." He stepped into her house. Nothing much had changed. A few boxes here and there, a few blue blankets scattered over the furniture. She had mentioned 'Shad' as she opened the door to him... Wait... Shad? As in Shadow? "Did you move someone in?" He asked, he wanted to sound inquisitive but the words sounded insulted.

Amy remained none the wiser to his tone of voice. "I guess you could say that?" She appeared to be rather nervous. "So." She propped herself on her sofa. "How have you been?"

His story had been told too many times that day. He was more interested to know why everyone was so insistent that he went to see her. Why she was so nervous to see him instead of lunging at him and showering him with love?

Something wasn't right.

He went to sit next to her when he picked up a soft toy that lay on the sofa. He held it in front of him. Baby toys? Was she babysitting?

Had she given birth to a baby?

The sounds of a high pitch wail came from upstairs. A baby. A baby with a very healthy set of lungs could be heard. He stared up at the ceiling, questioning everything to himself.

Amy had also been staring towards the ceiling. Her eyes then focusing on his reaction. Letting out a shaky breath, she sprang up from her seat and walked passed him. "I'll be right back." She ran up the stairs to see to the baby.

A thousand thoughts raced around his mind at once. The boxes around the house, calling Shadow's name... He must have swooped in once she assumed he was dead, moved him in and together, they had a baby. No, the calculations didn't add up. He was gone for ten months. If Amy had assumed he was dead, she would of had to have moved on with a few weeks after he left. That didn't seem plausible. Though it was a possibility.

Oh.

Oh...

Oh.

The calculations did add up if she had his baby though.

Looking at the soft toy in his hand, his mouth dropped open slightly at the thought. He slept with her right before he left. Protection had been one of the many things he hadn't thought about that night.

Chaos. Did she have his child?

His legs already propelled him upstairs before he could finish his thoughts. Dashing into the room where the baby's cries previously came from, he gawped at the scene. The previously spare room that Amy had shamefully used as hoarding room had been cleaned out and used as a nursery. Grey walls with yellow borders decorated the room. A few pictures added to the decor. White nursery furniture had replaced the various boxes and junk Amy once shoved into the room. Everything and more needed for a newborn could be found in this nursery.

Amy sat in a rocking chair, cradling the baby in her arms as it breastfed from her. "Oh, geez. Sorry." He turned away, feeling embarrassed for intruding on their privacy. So this was definitely her child.

Amy didn't look up at him. She was too preoccupied staring at the baby in awe. "It's alright." Gradually, she took her eyes off the feeding child and looked up at him. "I knew this day would come. I didn't expect it so soon but..." She didn't carry on her sentence. She turned back to the baby who was done feeding and placed the child on her shoulder, gently patting it's back. It burped, earning a 'good boy' from his mother.

So it was a boy. Was this his son? He studied the boy's features. Blue fur covered his stubby quills. A lighter shade than his own fur. Amy placed the boy back into her arms, allowing him to get a better view of him. Tanned skin, much like his own and wide dark blue eyes. He waved his little arms around, lacking coordination and direction.

"Sonic?" Amy looked at him, anxiety lacing her features. "This is Bolt. Your son."

His breathing ceased momentarily. His heart beating hard against his chest. Now he understood why Tails and Knuckles didn't want to tell him. Had he heard the news from them, he was sure he would have bolted right out the workshop and noped the heck out.

But with his reality being shown to him, he was curious to see his little creation. His little boy. "Can I..." He stopped to breath in air. "Can I hold him?"

Her face lit up after hearing him say those words. She must have thought exactly what he had thought about. Him fleeing the scene and she'd never see him again. "Of course." She got up slowly from the rocking chair and placed the bundle of joy in his arms. "Be careful of his head." She instructed gently.

"Think I've got him." Sonic gazed down at the baby boy, watching him clapping his mouth. He couldn't help the huge smile that appeared on his face. This was his child. His little boy. To think, he was going to leave behind such a cute thing. A sense of pride smacked him hard in his chest. He was a father.

"Oh Sonic." Amy cooed at him. She caught the stray tears that fell down his face. Sonic jumped slightly, unaware of his own tears. She looked to their son admirably. "This is your daddy, Bolt."

His eyes reluctantly pulled away from their son and stared at her, awestruck yet humbled. This girl had carried his child for nine months and only recently given birth. No words could explain how proud and grateful he was to her. "Thank you." He smiled at her. It was the only thing he could think of.

Amy's eyes danced, taken back by his gratitude. She smiled at him. "You're welcome."

* * *

Bolt hadn't left his arms from the moment Sonic took him. He watched the boy the whole time. Watching him eventually fall back to sleep and monitored every little breath. This had to be what love was. This overwhelming burst of happiness, adoration and pride that he felt when he looked at his son.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take him?" Amy asked. After introducing her hero to his child, the three went downstairs to catch up. She listened to her lover's tales of war and victory, gave him tea and cake and then relaxed on the sofa. She sat opposite the blue hedgehog and their son.

"Nah. I'm good. You must'a had your hands full with this little guy. How old is he anyway?"

"He's 3 weeks old. Was a week late." He smiled towards the sleeping baby. "I wouldn't say he's much trouble. He's a content little boy. I've actually gotten a lot of help too."

A frown itched to form on his features. He knew she was going to say Shadow's name. They were close enough that she was calling him Shad. Still, he chose to torture himself with the burning curiosity. "You have? From who?"

To his displeasure, his name escaped her lips. He cringed internally. "Shadow." She paused, looking uncomfortable. "I know you two don't get along that well but..." She paused again, this time rethinking her words. "A month after you left, I found out I was pregnant. Apart of me was so excited. I was going to be a mother. The mother of your child. But I was also terrified. Terrified of being a clueless, young single mother, I started to doubt myself. Questioning if I could be a mother on my own. And when we all thought you died... I kept telling myself they were wrong. That one day, you'd come back and be with your child. Time passed. I started to believe them. Then Shadow stepped in..."

Sonic allowed her to continue, feeling slightly bothered by Shadow 'heroic' actions.

"He was there for me and for Bolt. Without him, I don't think I would have coped."

"So, are you and him... You know, together?" His eyes were fixated on her now. Tearing through her. If she had feelings towards Shadow, there wasn't much he could do about that. But he would be damned if he was going to let his rival play 'daddy' to his kid.

She shook her head violently. "No. We're just good friends. He's also Bolt's godfather."

She wasn't serious. That hedgehog was responsible for his kid if anything happened to him or Amy? He was more than happy he survived now.

Testosterone built up inside him. He felt threatened. This was his family and as grateful as he was that Shadow helped Amy remain as calm and collected as possible during her pregnancy, it was time he stepped back and let him raise his son.

"I never stopped loving you." She blushed. "Even if you had died, I wouldn't have settled for anyone else."

At least his position as her lover was still upheld. He was still uncertain of his feelings for her. He knew he was still physically attracted to her and he respected her as the mother of his child but to start breaking out words of love and devotion sounded a bit too much for him.

"That doesn't make me a fool." She insisted. Her words caused him confusion. Who was calling her a fool? He didn't think that of her.

Amy gave him a stern look. "I understand the situation, Sonic. As much as I wish otherwise, I can accept that your feelings for me are not the same as mine. Our night together was a beautiful goodbye. It doesn't have to change our previous relationship." She crossed her legs, looking sophisticatedly firm. "What's more important, is our son. He needs stability. He needs a father figure who will always be there for him. If you feel that this is too much for you, it's best if you leave now and don't mess him around."

As much as he agreed that Bolt would need stability, he couldn't help but feel insulted. How could he possibly walk away from this little guy? The boy that made his heart melt on sight. How would it work if he wasn't a hands on father? He would see her all the time. Bolt would see him all the time. Who would even help her? Shadow? Ha, that wasn't happening as long as he breathed. "I'm not leaving him. He's my son. My responsibility." No one, not even Shadow, was going to get in the way of him being a dad. Although, if he truly wanted to be a dad to his boy, he needed Shadow to be put in his place as the visiting godfather. To do that, he'd need Amy on his side. He secured Bolt in his left arm before holding out his right hand to the pink hedgehog. "Come here."

She obeyed his command instantly, slowly making her way over to him. Taking a seat next to him, she allowed him to pull her close.

"You and Bolt are all I need. We can do this together. You and me." He leaned over, whispering into her ear. "Like you've always wanted." His conscious once again stepped in to ask what the hell he was thinking. He knew he was manipulating her to get his own way. He knew it could get messy but this was the mother of his child, his close friend. Besides, maybe he wasn't in love with her but he was attracted to her. He could learn to love her.

So it wasn't total manipulation.

Her lips quivered at his low tone of voice. It was what she wanted. To be his lover, the mother of his children. His future wife. He was offering everything she always wanted to her and she was eager to accept.

The door opened behind them, alerting the hedgehog's. Sonic looked over his shoulder, his eyes catching a glimpse of his rival. He was holding a bag. Most likely the baby wipes Amy had been asking about. To his surprise, she pulled away from him and got up to greet Shadow. "Hey, you're back." She could see his eyes had fallen on the blue hedgehog, the pair stared at one another in silence. "Sonic got back not long ago."

"I see." He nodded towards the hero. Sonic nodded back. The tension between the two was thick. Sensing the tension, Bolt began to cry. "I've got him." Shadow insisted, swiftly yet carefully taking the boy out of Sonic's arms.

"I can look after him." Sonic got up from his seat.

"I've. got. him." Shadow took the child, along with the bag up the stairs to his nursery.

Sonic maintained his calm demeanour, mentally cursing the hedgehog for swooping in when he wasn't needed. It was obvious that he felt just as threatened by his presence. Like two leaders to a pack, one had to go.

Amy gave him a sympathetic smile. "You know, Sonic. Since you're back, you can come with me to register his birth. That way you can be registered as the father."

He smiled at her. Already, he had the upper hand against his rival. "Of course. Wouldn't miss it for the world."

She brushed his shoulder as she passed him, walking upstairs to tend to their son. Falling back onto the sofa, Sonic sighed heavily. He thought the war was a tough battle. This battle was going to be just as tough.


	3. Three's a Crowd

Chapter Three: Three's a crowd

Sitting in the waiting room of the registry office, Sonic looked up at the clock on the wall, watching the dial ticking away. His foot tapped the floor rapidly, an outlet to his frustration. This appointment to register their son was supposed to be just him, Amy and Bolt. Instead, Shadow decided to tag along like the unnecessary third wheel Sonic saw him as.

To make matters worse, Amy enthusiastically agreed to him tagging along. The pair walked and talked, pushing the pushchair along like a married couple whilst Sonic grudgingly walked behind them. He was pissed. How Amy giggled sweetly every now and again during their conversation, how she allowed Shadow to step in when Bolt got fussy, how he was made to feel like the third wheel in his own family.

And here they were; sat in silence in the waiting room. Amy gently cradling the sleeping baby in her arms, Shadow acting like he was the new proud father, letting the boy hold his finger in his sleep. And of course, the blue hedgehog just sat there, holding back his annoyance.

Quite frankly, the pink hedgehog should have been grateful he had kept his cool with the ultimate lifeform for all this time. For the pass week, he had been attempting to get on track with the parenting thing. Watching and attempting to change his son, bathe him, clothe him. Yet everytime he tried or failed, Shadow would step in and take over. Amy, supposedly losing her feisty flare to motherhood, said absolutely nothing to all this and just gave him an apologetic or sympathetic look.

His opportunity to bond with his son was being cut off by his rival and the mother of his child was more than happy to let it go over her head.

Again, he couldn't do much about it until he could get Amy on his side.

Why was she so docile towards Shadow anyway? He wasn't sure he had seen her so passive. This girl with an unkempt spirit, driven by her passion to chase the wind. The woman who pushed herself to unimaginable lengths to reach speeds not capable for the average person just to chase him. The same pink hedgehog that took on the biggest, baddest threats, despite her small frame, so no one else would have to... Was now too subdued to put her black and red _friend_ in his rightful place as godfather.

He huffed at the thought. Friend. That was what she called him. Good friend. Yeah, right. That was what Sonic called her. What he had always called her. That didn't stop them having a child together. She was always pulling away from him, unwilling to accept his advances if Shadow was near. Why would she push him away if she was so sure of her feelings for him?

It was almost as if she didn't want Shadow to see them together.

"Time to get you all signed up, little prince." Amy cooed at the boy quietly. She looked over to the blue hedgehog, oblivious to his anger. "I'm glad you could make it, Sonic."

Her soothing voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to her, smiling for the first time that day. "You know I wouldn't miss this, Ames. The little man is gonna have proof that his dad is Sonic the hedgehog. Gonna brag to all the kids." He winked at her.

"Not much to brag about..." Shadow scoffed.

Sonic chose to ignore the black and red hedgehog. He needed to keep Amy on his side and she was already allowing Shadow to get away with all kinds of digs aimed at him. One minor bit of hostility towards that hedgehog and he knew Amy would see Shadow as the better suited father figure.

"I'm sure he'll proudly tell all his friends who his daddy is." Amy reassured him. Her hand touched his arm consolingly.

A badger in a sophisticated suit came out of his office and looked towards the hedgehogs. "Miss Amy Rose?" He called to the female. Amy got up from her seat with Bolt in arms. She looked over her shoulder at the blue hedgehog, insisting he should stand up too. Sonic smugly smirked at Shadow as he stood up. "And we have mother and father here today, yes?"

"That's right." Sonic nodded, wrapped his arm around Amy's shoulders. The pink hedgehog blushed, looking over at Shadow awkwardly. The ultimate lifeform remained silent.

The badger gestured the family to step into his office. Sonic smile to himself, taking pleasure in Shadow being out casted from the family registration. Closing the door behind the family, the badger took a seat behind his desk, opposite the hedgehogs. "I'll start off with a congratulations to you both. How old is the little one, may I ask?"

"Thank you. He's four weeks old." Amy proudly looked down at her sleeping son.

"Lovely. Right, let's start off with date of birth."

"March 24th."

"Was he born in a hospital or home birth?"

"Emerald Coast Hospital."

"We've established he's a boy... Okay his name please?" The badger tapped away on his computer, typing the information into the system.

Sonic looked over at the pink hedgehog, wondering why she was suddenly so quiet. She was visibly uncomfortable now. "Sorry. Could you repeat that?" She acted as though she misheard the man.

"His name?"

"Uh, Bolt. B-O-L-T."

"Any middle names?"

Her eyes looked over at the blue hedgehog, knowing he was watching her, reading her uneasy emotion. She turned back to the badger. "... Shadow."

Oh hell no. She did NOT just say their son had 'Shadow' as his middle name. He glared at the woman, visibly aggravated. "Please tell me you're kidding."

"Don't be like that, Sonic." Amy rolled her eyes. "I knew you would get like this."

He turned towards her in his seat. "You named our son after that faker and then expect me to be okay with it?"

She frowned, displeased with her lover causing a scene in front of the man. "Sonic, it's a middle name. It's not like he's gonna use it."

"It's more than just a middle name, Ames. He's already taking over my job as a dad. Now I find out you named my kid after him too?"

"He hasn't taken over your job, Sonic. He's just trying to help."

Sonic sighed. It was clear his opinion didn't matter. As long as Shadow was the topic of frustration, his views would be pushed aside for the sake of that faker. "Why don't we just call him in and have him be registered as the father? He obviously has more rights to my own son more than I do."

"Can you stop being so childish? You're getting all pent up over a name for goodness sake!" She turned to the badger who remained awkwardly silent during their disagreement. "I'm so sorry about this." He wavered his hand, assuring her it was okay.

Standing up from his seat, the hedgehog paced around the room. He was infuriated by her inability to see or even listen to his point of view. He kept his cool through the whole ordeal and now this piece of information was too much to handle. He stood in front of the pink hedgehog, holding a stern look on his face. "You're gonna change it. His name is not gonna be Shadow."

Her eyes widened in horror. Was he telling her what to do? "You can't be serious?" He held his gaze, never faltering. Realising how serious he was, Amy scowled at the father of her son. "You know what, Sonic? Just leave. I'll do this on my own."

"Uh, he can't leave." The badger intervened. The pair turned to the badger, both looking confused at his interruption. "If he's the biological father, he'll need to be here to sign his name on the registration. If he leaves, he will not be registered as the father."

Amy's breath hitched in the back of her throat. Looking up at the blue hedgehog, she knew she had been defeated with the law on his side. There was no way he was going to leave without his name on the birth certificate and he wasn't going to let the session continue with Bolt having Shadow as a middle name. She sighed, looking down at her baby to maintain her anger.

"Alright. You win." She smile passive aggressively at the blue hedgehog in front of her.

Content enough with the minor victory, the blue hedgehog sat back in his seat. He could feel her temper radiating towards him. He breathed out a heavy breath. His actions were gonna come back to bite him later.

* * *

The office door opened once again with a furious Amy storming out of it. Sonic followed behind shortly, looking more guilty for his actions. He never meant to come across as controlling, he just had enough of her allowing Shadow to have more rights than him. Bolt was his son. **His**. Why did he have to fight for his position and right to be a good father?

Still, as complicated and frustrating his situation was, he knew demanding her to remove the name wasn't right. "Look, I'm sorry, okay?"

Amy refused to listen to him. She placed the baby hedgehog in his pushchair and walked away from him and Shadow. Shadow looked at the blue hedgehog, wondering what he could have possibly done this time to upset her. He dashed to her side, walking along side her.

Great, just what he needed. Daddy of the year and Amy, teaming up against him. No, he couldn't let him be on top again. He ran in front of the hedgehog's, his attention only focusing on Amy. "Ames, come on. At least hear me out."

"I don't want to hear it, Sonic."

"I know what I did was wrong but I--"

"You what? Felt so insecure in your own ability as a father that you just HAD to assert your dominance over me and my decision?" She allowed Shadow to have control of the pushchair and stepped in front of the blue hedgehog. "The reason I named him after Shadow was because I was grateful to Shadow for being there for me through one of the most agonising nights of my life! I couldn't have gotten through labour without him. That is why I showed my appreciation by naming Bolt's middle name after him. And now you've taken that away."

Now that was unfair. It wasn't his fault he had to be sent on a death mission and had to leave her alone and pregnant. Heck, he wasn't even aware that he impregnated her until he saw his newborn. How could she pin that on him? "I would have been there if I could. You know that!"

She huffed, refusing to listen once again. "It's done now anyway. You've got what you wanted so there's nothing else to say, is there?" Turning back to the black hedgehog, she ushered him to carry on walking.

Sonic stepped aside, watching his family walk away with his rival. He cursed under his breath and sprinted off in the opposite direction, heading to the workshop to vent to his best friend.

* * *

"Man. This situation is more complicated than I thought." Tails said. The two sat in the workshop. Tails, at his computer desk and Sonic sitting on top of the desk. The hedgehog had his arms crossed, pouting grudgingly. "Bolt, Shadow... The hedgehog... Eh, doesn't really click, you know?"

"Thank you!" Sonic exclaimed rather loudly out of frustration. "Like I get it, raising a baby ain't easy. Especially at night. That kid doesn't even know the difference between day and night so staying up with him is just..." He realised he was going off track. "I mean I am grateful that Shadow helped her and all but, I'm back! I want to help but she keeps letting him take charge and if I so much as say anything about it, I'm being unreasonable!"

Tails raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like Amy at all. Although those two have gotten pretty close since you've been gone. Has she said anything about their relationship?"

"She says they're just **good friends."** He scoffed.

"That's a good thing, right?"

"Yeah, normally. Only I used to call her that too. Then I got her pregnant."

"Do you still see her as your good friend?" The fox wanted to see his best friend's reaction.

Sonic turned to his two-tailed friend, clueless. "I don't know." He earned a questionable look from the fox. "What, I'm being honest!"

"You liked her enough to make a baby with her." He shrugged. "You're making this more complicated than this has to be. You're clearly jealous of her relationship with Shadow, you have a child together. Why not just tell her that you like her? Then you can be a family."

"I already told her that! Yet every time I try and get close to her and Shadow's nearby, she pushes me away!"

Tails gave him another questionable look. "Wait. You just said you don't know how you feel about her, yet you've already told her that you want her and you've tried flirting with her?" The teenager looked puzzled for a moment before looking surprised at his friend. "Sonic. You're not up to something are you?" The blue blur tried to hide his face, feeling exposed. "Sonic..."

"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side here!"

"I am! But c'mon Sonic. You can't use Amy's emotions to your advantage."

"Tails. I'm doing this for my son. If Amy's not on my side, she'll keep letting Shadow be a dad to my kid. I can't sit by and watch my son grow up to eventually call that faker, dad."

Despite his actions not being completely justified, Tails could see Sonic was truly acting out of desperation. He nodded to his friend, accepting the hero's potentially disastrous plan. "Alright. I don't think this will end well but if you think it'll help you bond with Bolt, I'll help wherever I can."

The blue blur placed his hand on the teen's shoulder. "Thanks bud." He jumped off the desk and was about to head back to Amy's house to spend some time with Bolt when he thought about Amy still being mad with him. The tension with him versus Amy and Shadow wouldn't be good for Bolt to feel. "Actually. I could use advice on what to do about getting Amy to forgive me. What do I do?"

"Well, whenever Cream's upset. We go for a walk in the flower fields, near Green Hill Zone. Usually makes her feel better. Maybe you could take her there too?"

"Sounds like a good idea. But it's getting a little late to take Bolt out for a stroll. She's been wanting to get a routine sorted for him and I don't want to inconvenience her."

"I meant just the two of you." Sonic looked puzzled at his friend. "I mean, you can leave him with Shadow and--"

"No way! I'm trying to get that hedgehog away from my son. I'm not going to let him babysit! There has to be something else I can do."

"Why not get her flowers then? Confectioneries. Make something personal, with meaning. This is Amy we're talking about. You could get her a simple card and she'd love you even more for it." He rubbed his chin for a moment, seemingly having an idea. "Cream can make you a bouquet. She started a part time job as a florist in the flower shop in the city." He looked down at his watch. "If you're quick, you can make it before it closes."

Sonic chuckled. "If I'm quick, ha! That's funny." His legs began to spin. "Thanks for the help Tails!" With that, he raced off towards the city, hoping his efforts would get him back in the pink hedgehog's good books.

* * *

Letting himself into Amy's house, The hedgehog was welcomed to the sound of a lullaby coming from up the stairs. No doubt it was Bolt's baby mobile, twirling around to a slow, soothing tune. He guessed it was Amy putting the boy to bed, rocking him in her arms like she did every night.

Looking down at the big bouquet of red and white roses, the hedgehog took a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever reaction she would give him. He was just about to go upstairs when he heard the sound of a plate being set down on the countertop. Curious, he followed the sound to the kitchen. Peeking his head round the open door, he found Amy serving dinner. Three plates. He couldn't help but smile. Even when she was angry with him, she was considerate to his needs.

"I wondered when you'd show up." She hadn't looked his way. In fact, she had been facing away from him, her back facing him as she washed up the pots and pans. "Your dinner is on the side."

Like a guilty child, he scurried into the kitchen and stood behind her. "Turn around Ames."

She sighed with exhaustion, not having the energy to argue against his command. She turned to face him but was met with a bouquet of roses in front of her. "Oh my. Did you get these for me?" A smile plastered her face as she breathed in the sweet scent.

Sonic rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. I wanted to show you how sorry I am."

She brushed the petals gently. Red and white roses. A symbol of unity when presented together. A tinge of guilt ran through her. After having some time to think about what she had said, she knew she had said some unjustified things out of anger. Sighing once more, she placed the bouquet on the kitchen counter. "I'm sorry for what I said to you, about not being there at the birth. You couldn't help that. I just let my anger take over."

"Hey, don't worry about it..." He paused, feeling her hand brush his cheek.

She closed her eyes, remembering what he had said about feeling overshadowed by the ultimate lifeform. Biting her lip, she looked deep into the blue hedgehog's emerald eyes. "You are Bolt's father. Your opinion is important. You are important." She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. "Thank you for the flowers."

He smiled at her words. Hearing her acknowledge his position filled him with the reassurance he needed after the past week of tension and insecurity he had faced between his rival and admirer. The hug was a nice addition too. With Shadow currently preoccupied with Bolt, he was finally able to have a moment with Amy. For once, she was the one to be giving him affection, just like old times.

Her quills brushed against his nose, emitting a hint of strawberry aroma, blending with the scent of their newborn. His heart fluttered from the smell. He wasn't sure if it was from the smell of his child or because the last time he had taken in her scent, they were caught up in their night of heated temptation. How he held her so tenderly and yet, for dear life. His actions copied those of that night, wrapping his arms her waist dearly.

A gasp, followed with a shaky breath hit his ears. He was close enough to feel her heart beating rapidly. It amazed him how even now, after everything that happened between them, she was still easily moved by his smallest actions.

To his surprise, she pulled away. Just enough to look into his eyes. Her eyes switching from his eyes to his lips. He remembered that look. Aching from her to him. A silent request. He obeyed her unspoken craving and kissed her.

Euphoria. The drug she contained within her that made his head hazy and blood rush. His mind blanked out, intoxicated by her kiss. She was definitely more passionate with the way she dominated his lips. It didn't bother him. All the months they had been apart, she was likely making up for the lost time. She moaned, swooning against him with her hands becoming lost in his quills.

Sonic staggered back, catching his balance against the counter. Amy barely noticed, too lost in the moment to care. He switched their positions, pressing her against the kitchen counter as their lips danced ferociously.

The sound of footsteps could be heard coming their way. He opened one of his eyes. Shadow no doubt. The thought of that faker witnessing what they had been doing made him smirk against her lips. His sudden smile caused her to pull away in confusion, allowing her to hear Shadow approaching. She pushed Sonic away from her and faced away from him. Shadow stepped into the kitchen, giving Sonic a look before stepping in front of him. He noticed the bouquet on the counter. Sonic's feeble attempt of an apology. But he noticed something else. Looking back at the blue boy, he could see his quills were more wild than usual, along with his slightly flustered appearance. He remained silent, questioning mentally.

Amy turned around. "Thank you for getting Bolt to sleep. He wouldn't stop feeding from me." Amy took two plates off the kitchen counter and gave them to the males in front of her. "Let's eat." She ushered the boys out of the kitchen.

Looking down at the plate full of food, he couldn't help but lose his appetite. He tried to shake the thought out of mind but it wrangled his head to ache. As much as he didn't want to believe it, the signs were there...

Amy was dating him and Shadow?


	4. Know Thy Enemy? Know Thy Lover!

Chapter Four: Know Thy Enemy? Know Thy Lover!

"Sonic... You've been 'undercover' for two weeks now. You've found _very_ little to no evidence to Amy showing Shadow_ any_ signs of romantic attention. Why are you still sure about this?" Tails gave the hedgehog an exasperated expression, leaning his heavy head against his balled fist, at his desk.

The hedgehog paced back and forth, his hand rubbing his chin, lost in thought. It was true, no matter how much spying, lurking, creeping around he did, he still couldn't prove his assumptions of her infidelity. Amy and Shadow were close but it was definitely a friendship. She never looked at that faker the way she would look at him. Only held her handsy gestures for him.

Though she still didn't dare return his affection in front of the ultimate lifeform. In fact, the only time he would get her affection was when Shadow was out of sight. It just didn't make sense. He had told her he was willing to be a family. Accepted her as his lover... Yet she didn't want to announce it.

For years, she had yearned for his affection, his love. Heck, this girl would declare herself as his girlfriend without even agreeing with him first! Now it was as if she was ashamed.

It didn't make sense!

"I can't figure out why she's so adamant on keeping me a secret. ME?!"

"Have you asked her?"

Sonic remained puzzled. "Why would I do that?"

"Oh, I don't know. Honesty? Bringing up your concerns with your partner? Helping the two of you build a stronger relationship, built on trust?"

"Or~ I could just avoid the awkward conversation and keep trying to find clues." He snapped his fingers. "Good thinking Sonic. You know, I have the best ideas. I don't know why I don't listen to myself more often."

The fox shook his head, deciding not to question the hedgehog's logic. "Alright... Well how do you plan on staying in her good books?" Seeing the hedgehog return a clueless expression, Tails sighed hopelessly. "Sonic, have you really thought this through? I mean you don't just do a single gesture out of love and expect a happy relationship."

"I know that!" Ah, who was he kidding? He didn't know the first steps to a relationship. There was affection involved. There were dates. There was... There was... "Alright, I don't know." He sighed, feeling stupid for not knowing better. "I need your help, Tails." Sonic confessed, sitting opposite his best friend.

Tails nodded and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. "Right, we'll start with things you know about Amy. No one will understand your partner like yourself." He scribbled a title on the page. "Okay, what's her favourite meal?"

"Uh... Chilli dogs?"

Tails raised his head to frown at the hedgehog. "That's your favourite..."

"Yeah... But she eats them too."

Again, the teen shook his head. "Moving on. What's her favourite movie?"

"Romance!"

"Romance what?"

"Anything involving romance."

Rubbing his temples, Tails held onto his patience. "O-kay. Favourite song?"

"Uh..." Sonic looked down at the piece of paper, finding nothing but a title and questions. He had failed to answer any of the questions Tails had for him. Embarrassed, the hedgehog leant back in his chair. "I don't know. I don't have a clue." His head slammed again the desk, a heavy sigh released his hopelessness.

Despite knowing Sonic's lack of attention towards Amy had put him in this situation, Tails couldn't help but feel bad for his friend. He needed guidance, a lot of advice. He needed a friend. On the other hand, he couldn't help but feel worse for the pink hedgehog. Had he asked her these questions about Sonic, she would answer them in seconds. She would even give references to when Sonic had expressed his favourite things, a time and a date. But she loved him completely. Sonic's love was merely surface level.

"I'm gonna be honest with you, man." The teenager's voice was sympathetic yet serious. "Don't do this to Amy unless you're absolutely sure you want to be with her. It'll destroy her if she found out about this." The fox thought about his own girlfriend. How she would feel if he had done something like this to her. He shook his head violently at the thought. "When I'm with Cream, there's always this-- this sense of vulnerability whenever I'm near her. It's a good vulnerability though. Like I can truly be myself around her. Like... We're bare in front of one another and yet, neither of us are ashamed."

Sonic slowly raised his head. He looked uncomfortable, uncertain what to think. "Dude... Uh, you two haven't... You know... Done that, have you? I mean, I'm not one to judge but... Aren't you two a little young for that?"

Tails slapped his forehead in frustration. "No! Neither of us are ready for that. I haven't even told her I love her yet..."

"My bad. What with you mentioning being... bare and all that. Kinda assumed... Yeah..."

"I meant like, I don't know, emotionally? I can't describe it. But that's just it. The feeling I feel when I'm around her is indescribable. Everything about her is just..." He paused, smiling at the thought of his girlfriend. "Beautiful. The way she snorts when she laughs too hard. When she picks a flower and smells it, it's like she's in another world of paradise." He chuckled at another thought of Cream. "I love it when she comes to see me after work and sometimes, she bring me something, like a daisy chain or even a nice sandwich! And we just... talk. We could talk for hours. One time, we were talking for so long, it was dawn before we even got to bed."

Sonic was silent, listening to how he spoke about Cream. He was in awe. How he had picked up on the smallest details of the girl and admired her so much for them. It was wholesomely romantic.

"My point is. Loving someone is more than just a physical thing. It's about allowing that person to become apart of you. Opening up to someone on the highest level. To think every moment is as precious as the last. I consider myself lucky, waking up in the morning and knowing I have another day to learn more about her."

Moved by his best friend's words, Sonic said nothing for a moment. Allowing himself to take in what the teen had said. He felt deeply moved. "Cream is one lucky girl." Sonic nodded to the fox.

Feeling slightly embarrassed for declaring his love for the rabbit, Tails scratched his head. "But, yeah. If you don't feel like you can think like that, or even similar towards Amy, please stop this plan of yours and just consider what's best for all of you."

Damn. Why did the young boy have to always be right? His way of describing his love for Cream made him feel so humbled, so in awe. Yet, could he honestly say he felt that way towards the mother of his son? When had he ever noticed the small things about her? When had he stopped to just talk to her? Hear her? Connect?

Ugh. He felt disgusted with himself. All the years they'd known one another and he actually didn't know her at all. To make it worse, he had brought their relationship to such a dramatic level of intimacy, just so he could burn some steam before his potential death.

And this was why he should have listened to his conscious on that night.

**Beep beep beep.**

His communicator flashed on his wrist, catching his attention. That was right, Amy and Bolt had an appointment and he agreed to go along with them. Although, no doubt Shadow would there too. Hanging around like a bad smell.

That faker.

Raising the communicator, he switched off the reminder and checked the time. His eyes widened. He was late! "Chaos! Sorry bud, I gotta go!" He bolted out of the workshop and raced towards Amy's doctor surgery.

Great. This was just great. Now he was going to look unreliable. The words Amy had told him when he was first introduced to Bolt rang through his mind. _Bolt needs stability_. Yes, it was only once. But what with having another daddy on side, he couldn't allow any slip ups. Darting through the surgery, the blue blur stopped in front of the reception desk.

The receptionist, alerted by the heavy gust of wind following the hedgehog, stood to attention. Her face pale with shock. "Sonic The Hedgehog?!" She gasped.

"Yeah, hi. I'm here for Amy, Amy Rose?" His foot tapped impatiently. His eyes examined the waiting room, his family nowhere to be seen.

"She's being seen by the doctor now." The woman pointed to the doctors room. "She's in room 12, down the hall, to the right."

"Thanks." He was about to head towards the room when he thought he'd ask for her surveillance. "You didn't happen to see a hedgehog with her, did ya? Black and red, tall." He muttered to himself. "The current bane in my life."

"Yes. A hedgehog was with her."

"Great! That'll be all." He smiled to the receptionist and walked down the hall, growling under his breath. Reaching room 12, the hedgehog knocked once before letting himself in. "Sorry I'm late."

The conversation between the doctor and Amy was cut short when they all turned to face the blue hero. He couldn't see any anger on her face. There was possibly a bit of disgruntlement from the doctor for barging in and interrupting the conversation but it was soon replaced with a small smile. His eyes made contact with Shadow who was standing behind Amy. He said nothing. The doctor looked towards Amy, expecting an explanation.

"He's the father." Amy said, smiling at the doctor.

The doctor nodded, gesturing for Sonic to take a seat. He agreed, taking the seat next to Amy. "I'll just recap. Bolt is developing just as he should. He's smiling and he's following objects across the room. There's no concerns from me. Is there anything you're concerned about?"

Amy looked towards Sonic. "What do you think?"

He was caught off guard. He hadn't expected her to ask for his opinion. Smiling, he shook his head.

"Excellent. Now we'll move onto the mother. Do you want these men present for the next bit?"

Amy blushed, looking at both of the male hedgehogs. "You two don't mind leaving, do you?"

Sonic raised his eyebrow. "I want to support you Ames." He looked towards the doctor. "She forgets that I've seen _all _of her before."

"Sonic!" Amy's blush grew even more. She tried to refrain from smiling at his comment. Looking over at the blue hedgehog, she gave in. "Alright. You can stay but don't be surprised by what you see." She looked at Shadow. "Can you take Bolt with you, please?

With a nod, the black and red hedgehog took the baby out of her arms and left the room. The blue hedgehog watched his rival intensely, looking for any form of anger or disappointment aimed towards either him or Amy. He had successfully shunned him out of the questioning in regards to Bolt's development and persuaded Amy to let him stay for her check up. She was obviously more comfortable with him if she was willing to let him stay and send Shadow away. She had also looked rather awkward about him being there too. Ha! Maybe the two weren't as close as he had thought!

Then again, having two men you're supposedly dating, watch you get examined by a doctor was probably more awkward than asking one or both men to leave.

"All done." Before he knew it, it was all over. Amy sorted herself out whilst the doctor discarded of her gloves and washed her hands. He hadn't even realised what had happened. "Everything seems to have healed just fine. Did you have any stitches after birth? Any tears?

Stitches? Tears? Sonic gulped. Did that happen during birth? Man. He had always assumed all births happened the same way. Feel some pain, pop out a baby. The thought of her going through an ordeal like that and then having to be sewn back together? Ugh...

Oh. From the time he discovered he had a son, he never thought to ask how the birth went. How could such a question skip his thoughts? She had gone through such excruciating pain to birth their son and he didn't think to ask how she felt?

Maybe Tails was right. Maybe he wasn't cut out to be her partner.

"No." He heard Amy answer.

"That's great. Now, I have to ask as part of the procedure. Have you thought about birth control?"

"Yes." Amy responded rather quickly, catching Sonic's attention. He understood why she probably didn't want to risk another pregnancy so soon but who exactly was chancing her with a baby? He knew he currently wasn't. "I've chosen the shot."

"Do you need me to go through the side effects? If you're not already aware, this shot can prevent a pregnancy up to a year." The doctor nonetheless took out a fresh pair of gloves, preparing to get the equipment for the shot.

"I've decided. I'll take it now." Amy remained confident in her decision. She could feel Sonic's eyes on her, piercing infact. "Yes Sonic?"

"You seem pretty keen. Why the rush?"

She smiled at him, a hint of flirtation in her eyes. "Can't be too careful with you around."

A smirk slowly creeped onto his face. Maybe he wasn't cut out to be her partner, but to ignore a signal like that, he would have to be a fool.

He definitely wasn't that.

* * *

After the appointment, Amy had decided it was time the trio and little Bolt should go out together, as she put it, _as a family. _

That comment made him chuckle under his breath. He, along with Amy and Bolt were considered family. What they were was a messed up jigsaw puzzle with one too many pieces missing.

Him, Amy, Bolt and her other bit on the side. The thought was blood boiling alone.

"Do you want me to order your usual?" Shadow asked Amy.

"Aw thanks Shadow." She smiled towards the ultimate lifeform.

Sonic raised his head off his hand where it had been resting and looked at the hedgehogs opposite him. Of course, while he was away, they probably went on a lot of dates. That faker making moves on a pregnant woman. "Usual?"

Amy turned towards her lover. "Oh we used to come here all the time. Kinda became our favourite spot to go to. Right Shadow?" She turned to the hedgehog who nodded in response.

Jealousy was hitting him hard. "Why don't you try something else, Ames? Something new!" He looked down at the menu. "How about I get you the strawberry shortcake? You love strawberries, right?" Shadow and Amy looked at one another. Feeling uneasy, the girl lowered her head. "What?"

"The pregnancy made her intolerant to strawberries. Caused her morning sickness to go awry." Shadow informed the blue hedgehog.

"Yeah, it was pretty bad." The girl giggled at a particular memory. She patted Shadow's arm, reminiscing with the male. "You remember that time I was speaking Rouge whilst drinking that strawberry milkshake?" Amy suddenly broke out into laughter, Shadow even chuckled along with her, to Sonic's surprise. "She still hasn't forgiven me."

Sonic sat back in his chair, watching the pair giggling at the memory they shared. Gah, he was frustrated with them as well as himself. How could he not have known about this?

"I'll get your food." Shadow got up from his seat and went to order the food.

"I'll just make sure he gets the order just right." Sonic also got up from his seat. Enough was enough. If he couldn't ask Amy what the deal was between her and Shadow, he'd go straight to the opposite team. Who knows, perhaps the faker was unaware of any relationship between him and Amy? "Shadow." The black and red hedgehog looked over his shoulder, at his rival. He said nothing, expecting the blue hedgehog to come straight out with whatever he wanted to ask. "What's the deal?"

Confused, the ultimate lifeform turned towards Sonic. "What are you talking about?"

"You and Amy. What's happening with you two?"

Shadow remained emotionless. A perfected poker face. "What makes you think there's anything happening between us?"

"Oh come on. The talks, the laughs, you're constant need to be around her and Bolt."

Shadow turned back to the counter. "You need to rethink your question. Do you see anything between Amy and I? Or have you realised how little you know about her and it's making you feel insecure?" Sonic couldn't reply to that. Had he really come across as being so vulnerable? "Don't come to me with your insecurities. If you had gotten to know Amy before you fucked her, you wouldn't be asking me that question right now."

His words were daggers to his heart. The truth really did hurt. Shadow had a point. He hated to admit it but he knew he was right. If he had taken the time to get to know Amy, learn absolutely everything about her, taken some time out, even with Bolt around, to talk to her and hear her thoughts, he wouldn't be running around seeking advice and reassurance from his friends/rival.

Having paid for the food, Shadow pushed passed the blue hedgehog and sat back at the table. Sonic watched as the couple talked and laughed with one another whilst entertaining his smiling son. He sighed. They looked so happy together. Was he the third wheel? Was he stopping them from being a family?

There had been whispering coming from various tables around him. Allowing the whispers to distract him from his overthinking, he noticed the customers in the cafe were looking at him. Infact, everyone was staring at him. What had he done now?

"Sonic." Amy called to him, looking out the window. "You may want to go outside."

Curious, Sonic went outside to find the mayor and the paparazzi waiting for him. The mayor, along side his body guards approached the blue hedgehog. "Mr The Hedgehog. What a pleasure it is to see you around here again." The tall leopard leaned forward, muttering only for Sonic to hear. "I was not informed of your return." The man waved at the crowd that was forming around them. "How long have you been back?" The mayor asked through his teeth.

"Nearly a month." Sonic mimicked the mayor's actions.

"That's wonderful. Any reason why you didn't think to inform me?" He continued with his muttering and talking through his teeth. It was patronising to say the least.

"I was spending time with my family." His conscious mind began to feel alarmed as it predicted Sonic's next moves. The opportunity to shun Shadow from his family was here and even if his mind told him not to, it was too good an opportunity to miss.

"Family?" The leopard turned to the hedgehog, both shocked yet enthused.

"Yes. You remember Amy Rose? She's my partner now. We have a son." He looked into the shop window to see Amy and Shadow looking back at him. "Aaaand we have a full time nanny too." Sonic grinned at his own demotion towards Shadow. It was a jerk's move but, eh, he deserved it after weeks of ridicule he received from that faker.

"Well, I must say. Congratulations my good man!" He turned towards the crowd, stepping forward to give a speech. "Our hearts have been filled with joyous victory. Our battle cry has been fulfilled. We citizens would not be here today had this renowned hero not taken the burden of defeating our nemesis, Doctor Eggman and his creations. It brings me great honour to award Mr Sonic The Hedgehog a key to the city and a grand celebration in his name!" The crowd cheered as the mayor finished his speech and presented an oversized key to the hedgehog.

Sonic humbly accepted the key, despite finding the award rather unnecessary. He had explored the ins and outs of this city and the majority of the world. Giving him freedom to what he already infiltrated made him stifle a smirk. Nevertheless, he shook the mayor's hand and allowed his picture to be taken.

Amy appeared behind him, shielding their son from the flashing camera's. "Sonic..."

Turning to the pink hedgehog, he smirked mischievously. Taking her hand, he gently pulled her close to him and kissed her. Stunned by the sudden public display of affection, the girl did nothing to stop him. He was sure she enjoyed his kiss because for a moment, he felt her kiss him back. Breaking their kiss, Sonic glimpsed over at Shadow. Again, he was expressionless, giving him no reaction once again. Regardless, the act of asserting himself over the girl in front of his rival was satisfying enough.

Realising what had happened, Amy gasped, turning to face Shadow. He still remained expressionless. The guilt built up inside her, leaving her mortified and devastated by her actions. "W-why did you do that?"

Her question made him question himself. Had he really done anything wrong? They were practically a couple now anyway. Even though neither of them had confirmed it with one another, their flirting, affection towards one another and even the fact that they had a child together proved that... right? "I, uh. I thought..."

Amy appeared to be in a state of panic. Her skin becoming pale and her pupils dilated. "I-I'm sorry. I have to go." Her words came out breathlessly. Walking away from her lover, she carried her son in the direction to her house, leaving the pushchair and baby bag in the cafe.

Shadow had a frown on his face, looking at the blue hedgehog. Their eyes met. Red anger hitting concerned and confused emerald. He shook his head at the blue hero before dashing into the cafe to collect the baby things and leaving Sonic in front of the crowd.

What had he done wrong? If anything, he did wrong towards Shadow. Why was Amy so distraught?

Sighing aloud, the hedgehog watched as Shadow and Amy faded into the distance. Now he was once again, left uncertain of his position in their relationship and had most likely upset her again.

He was back to square one.


	5. Mark your Territory

Chapter Five: Mark your Territory

Desperate times called for desperate measures. Despite their pictures in the gossip magazines of the city declaring them as a hot couple, they were quite the opposite. Having exposed their relationship and family, Amy was not pleased with the results. Seeing them kiss on the majority of magazines, she had made it a mission to keep the pictures out of the house. She had even ripped the magazine in front of everyone when Rouge bought it over.

This left a sour taste in Sonic's mouth. Her hot and cold attitude towards their relationship was causing him more anxiety than he wished for. If only Shadow wasn't there, he was certain she'd be framing their kiss all over the house, merrily announcing herself as Mrs Rose, The Hedgehog.

And having seen the pictures, he received a telling off from his best friend for carrying on with his plan. He couldn't help it! Knowing he was beating Shadow in the battle for love was thrilling. Like his primal instincts were in alpha mode and he was fighting for a mate. Testosterone levels to the max and ready to attack.

That and he really didn't like seeing her with another man. He thought he was okay with it. Told himself that she could be with anyone she wanted and that his main interests involved Bolt only. But seeing her with Shadow just made him so angry. So jealous. He just couldn't help it.

And so, instead of turning to Tails for advice on how to claim the girl as his and only his, he went to Knuckles instead.

"Whoa, whoa whoa. Wait, you're telling me that Amy is cheating on you, with Shadow... But you're not _officially_ together, you just all live together, under the same roof?" Knuckles tried to put the pieces together. The pair sat on the steps leading to the Master Emerald. Knuckles, sitting next to the emerald and Sonic further down.

"That's the jist of it... Like, one minute she's all over me and as soon as Shadow appears, it's like I'm invisible. And not to mention how he's practically dad of the year! You'd think he's raised 1000 babies! Pretty sure Bolt thinks he's his dad." The hedgehog crossed his arms. "If he was gone, I could be the perfect dad, you know. I don't get why he NEEDS to be there all the time."

Knuckles tapped his gloved fist against his head, contemplating the possibilities. "Have you seen them two get _close_. If you know what I mean?"

"No. Believe me, I went detective on them for weeks and found nothing. Yet the way Amy sneaks around with me, you'd think she was dating the pair of us. Like why does she need to hide our relationship if there's nothing going on between them?"

"Have you asked her?"

Sonic looked up at the echidna. "Why do you guys keep asking me that?"

Knuckles shrugged. "Just seems like the easier option."

"The _Awkward_ option." Sonic corrected him.

"Alright. If Amy's not sure who she wants to be with, why not sway her in the right direction? Remind her what she's missing. Make her yours." The echidna's voice deepened sadistically. "Mark her."

"Mark her?" A light blush appeared on his cheek at the thought.

"Yeah. You know, show her a good time, with a little rogue action thrown in there."

His blush deepened. "She's just had a baby!"

"Okay not **that** rough then but when you're getting into it, bite her a little. Get playful. She'll be baring your marks and Shadow will see them."

Of course! Love bites. Though a little distasteful for Shadow to see, it was a clear message of who she would choose. It was the ultimate claim to the prize. Only, he needed Amy's consent first. To get that, he needed to get her alone for a period of time. To do that, he would need to get both Shadow and Bolt out of the house.

First, he would need to guarantee he would be alone with Amy for a good amount of time. "I've got an idea. Thanks for the chat, Knucks." He got up from the steps and dashed away from the guardian.

"Tell me how it goes!" Knuckles shouted to the hedgehog.

"No way!" Sonic blushed hard. Racing off of Angel Island, he made his way into the city, getting a tool to ensure Shadow's babysitting trip would keep him at bay for awhile.

* * *

Opening the front door, Amy and Shadow looked towards the hedgehog. Amy smiled brightly towards him. "Sonic! Come look, quickly!" Dropping his bag, he quickly dashed to her side to see what she was so happy about. She happened to be holding Bolt under his arms, allowing him to hold his own head. The baby's head wobbled back and forth slightly but he held it well. "He's holding his head! Look!"

"Way to go, little man!" Sonic praised his boy. His pride flaring at the scene. He was glad he caught the moment before he had to be told about it later by Amy and Shadow. "Geez, he's growing up too quickly."

"Isn't he? I only gave birth to him like a week ago!" Amy exaggerated. She sniffled, feeling the tears fall down her cheeks. "Can you take him?" She passed the baby to Sonic as she attempted to dry her eyes. "Oh my baby's growing up too fast for me!" She cried into her hands.

The blue hedgehog wrapped his free arm around her. "Don't worry Ames. He's only two months old. We've got plenty of time with him."

She dabbed the tears away from her eyes. "I know but it's going so fast. One moment, he's inside me and the next, he's holding his own head... I'm sorry." She cried into her hands once again.

Knowing she would cry for eternity if he didn't stop her thinking about their son aging, he decided to bring up the present he had gotten her. "Ames. I got you something. It won't just benefit you. It'll benefit all of us."

Intrigued, the pink girl watched as Sonic picked up the bag he came in with and placed it on her lap. She pulled out a box and examined it. "A... Breast pump...?" She raised her eyebrow towards the blue boy. "Thank you Sonic... Only I told you that I was going to be exclusively breastfeeding."

"I know but think about it Ames. If Shadow and I can feed Bolt, you can get some much needed rest. We could also take him out so you can have some time to yourself." He watched as she fiddled with the box, still uncertain about using it. "It'll help us bond with him a little more too."

He was making a lot of sense. Breastfeeding was quite difficult to keep up with. The number of times he would need feeding, how Bolt would crave for milk out of comfort which took up more of her time, how he'd cluster feed at times so he was pretty much strapped to her all day.

But she loved it. Knowing she was providing him with the nutrients he needed and how close she felt to him when he was feeding. She didn't know if she wanted to trade that for a machine.

Though if it meant Sonic could bond with his boy, it was something to consider.

That, and the extra hours to sleep. "I'll try it. Hopefully he'll accept the bottle."

"Great! Now you can finally have a break. How about you let Shadow take the little guy out tomorrow? Get a couple of hours to yourself?"

Amy looked towards Shadow, curious to know what he thought about it. "Shadow?"

The black and red hedgehog nodded back at her. "I agree that you need to rest." He turned to Sonic, crossing his arms. "Though I don't see what's stopping you from watching him. Didn't you want to spend time with him?"

"Yes but the mayor asked me to visit him tomorrow. Something about the whole celebration thing he's doing for me." He lied. To his luck, Shadow nodded towards him, believing his words. He smiled at the mother of his son. "So it's sorted. You can have a break tomorrow and we'll be out of your hair."

"Thanks guys. I don't know what I'd do without you." She smiled at the males.

Pleased with his plan in action, the blue hedgehog excused himself and took Bolt upstairs with him to the nursery. Grinning mischievously, he looked down at the baby in his arms who stared back at him. "Mummy and daddy will be together very soon, 'kay Bolt?" The boy cooed at him, making Sonic's heart melt.

This was his family. He was going to make that clear tomorrow.

* * *

"Do you have his spare clothes? His comforter? Did I pack the bottle?!" Amy frantically searched the baby bag to ensure everything Bolt needed was in the bag.

"You've checked three times already..." Shadow stated, watching the girl go into a frenzy.

"I know but I just want to be sure." She turned to her son in the pushchair and kissed his cheek. "Mummy loves you so much. My little prince." A tear fell down her cheek. "Oh! I don't think I can let him go!"

Shadow chuckled quietly. "It'll be a few hours. I'll bring him back." He assured her. Opening the door, he wheeled the pushchair out of the house.

"Mummy loves you!" She cried out to Bolt. The ultimate lifeform shook his head at the girl and walked along the path with the baby. Amy watched them until they disappeared into the distance. Sighing, she closed the door. She felt unable to go to sleep as separation anxiety kept her mind too overwhelmed. She decided to make herself busy by taking out her pregnancy pictures and placing them in a photo album.

The pictures of her pregnancy scattered across the coffee table as she looked at each one and reminisced in each memory. Who would have thought she would miss her bump? The same bump that got in her way, made it difficult to get around and even breath at times. Despite it's bad points, she missed having her boy with her all the time, kicking and punching her to let her know he was content in her womb.

She was so caught up in the memories, she failed to notice Sonic creeping over her shoulder, looking at all the pictures. "Pregnancy looks great on you."

"Aaaah!" The pink hedgehog jumped out of her seat. Realising it was Sonic, she huffed at him. "Sonic! You scared me! When did you come in?"

"My bad. I did call to you but you were so distracted, you didn't notice me." Jumping over the sofa, he looked at all the pictures. "I wasn't lying when I said pregnancy suits you." He picked up a particular picture. She must have been six months pregnant. "You're practically glowing."

Amy blushed at his words. She took a seat next to him and stared at all the pictures. "I do miss being pregnant. Never thought I'd say that."

"What's it like?" Sonic asked. He was genuinely curious to know what she felt during the pregnancy. The thought of having something moving inside him other than a rumbling stomach sounded uncomfortable to him.

"Well, first trimester was the worse! Morning sickness, toilet trips, the round ligament pains. Was not fun at all! But as soon as I felt him kick, it was all worth it. I'd do it all again if I could."

He smirked at her. "That could be arranged." Her face went from blissful daydream to sudden panic. "I'm kidding! Your face, haha!" He laughed. "Although." He grinned at her. "I do wonder if you miss the baby makin' as much as the pregnancy."

Her cheeks burned as she instantly caught on to what he was implying. She held back a coy smile, not wanting him to see her give in so easily. "I told Shadow I would rest."

Sonic looked at the photo album and then back at her. "Well you've already lied to him about that. His hand got lost in her long quills, playing with them gently. "You know, when I was away, the thought of you never left my mind."

"Really?" She could feel her heart pounding into her chest, sensing the build up between them.

"Oh yeah. The thought of that night always played on my mind." He leaned towards her, whispering into her ear. "Remembering the way you moaned out my name." His hand slowly moved up her arm. "The feel of your soft skin." He moved close to her lips, teasing her by hovering his lips over hers. "Your sweet taste."

She stared at his lips, eager to ravish them with her own. It had been so long since she had felt his intimate touch. All those months just yearning for him. She had only been touched once and like a drug, she became addicted from the first try. Even though her body was craving for him, she wanted to hold a little more resistance, the thought of Shadow witnessing them in the act made her stomach churn with nerves and guilt. "I'm supposed to be resting... Upstairs... In bed." Her lust filled eyes never left his lips.

"I can take you to bed." His husky voice sent shivers down her spine.

Overcome with lust, Amy straddled her lover. "Not yet." She smashed her lips against his, passionately dominating him just like he liked it. Her hands rested against his face, deepening their kiss. Oh how she needed this. The feeling of closeness and connection that no amount of conversation and small caresses here and there could quench. With her guilt and shame aside, she could finally feed her desires.

His hands slivered up her blouse and caressed her back, gently squeezing her hips. His mind was still aware of his little mission; to mark her, but he needed to choose his timing carefully. The only experience he had with her was sensual, slow, intimate. What if she liked it like that? What if his rough approach put her off? Why was he even thinking about that right now? He allowed himself to get lost in her tantalising kiss, his plans erasing from his mind.

Their need for one another grew stronger as they lost their minds to the lust. Eager to feel her body against him, he hastily unbuttoned her blouse, ripping the fabric off her shoulders and leaving it to fall to her elbows. He broke away from the kiss, trailing his lips down her slender neck and collar bone. She moaned, tilting her head slightly to allow him to continue his treatment on her. He teased the area around her neck, finding the right spot that made her moan exceptionally louder, licking and kissing the area before biting her gently. Her moans reassured him of his actions, making him continue to kiss and bite her upper body.

He reached behind her, unclipping her bra and pulling it down swiftly out of his way. His lips connected with hers again, this time, he dominated her with unmatched passion as his hands played with her breasts. She moaned into the kiss, drowning in his carnal seduction. Discarding her fallen blouse and bra aside, the female pressed her bare upper body against his chest, earning a low growl from her lover.

Never had she felt so primal, so naughty. The overwhelming desire for him to just take her then and there in the most rogue ways. She wanted to be ravished, she wanted to be dominated. She wanted to be dirty.

Pulling away from their kiss, she traced her finger against his chest. "Take me to bed." She whispered softly to him. She didn't have to ask twice. He grabbed her waist, lifting them off the sofa and carried her up to her bedroom. He closed the door behind them, though even a closed door could contain their raw passion.

* * *

Their chests heaved as they breathlessly inhaled and exhaled. Both bodies drenched in their combined sweat and both equally marked in loving bruises and cuts.

"Damn." Sonic breathed out.

Amy giggled, turning on her side to face him. "That was fun."

"I'll say." He copied her actions, turning on his side to face her, he gently brushed his hand over the various hickeys leading from her neck, to the top of her right breast. He gulped, having come to his senses and seeing what he had done to her. "Sorry 'bout the marks. Do you feel okay?"

She smiled at him, taking his wandering hand in hers. "I'm fine. Besides, It's not like you were left unharmed." Her eyes focused on the scratches on his tanned arms. "Things got a little heated."

He chuckled. "Maybe a little too heated. I wasn't too rough, was I?"

Amy bit her lip, avoiding eye contact. "I am a little sore." She couldn't help but look empathetic towards his worried expression. "I'll be fine. I mean, it's my first time after having a baby and we did get a bit carried away."

She was right about that. Never had he experienced something so raw and animalistic. He was wild. She was wild. They had become so unrecognisable and yet so comfortable with one another to show such primal instincts.

And beyond that primal behaviour, he felt himself becoming voluntarily vulnerable in front of her. Wanting her to see that particular side of him, allowing her to connect with him in such bliss that even after, with her giving him a tired smile, he didn't want to end. He pulled her closed to him, allowing her head to rest against his chest.

"Sonic." Amy giggled as she attempted to break free from his grasp. He only held her tighter everytime she squirmed. "We have to get up before Shadow comes back with Bolt."

"Not yet." His arms remained tightly around her. "We hardly get time on our own. Why waste it?"

"Because I don't want Shadow awkwardly walking in on us."

"Why does it bother you so much?" His annoyance came out unintentionally. That awkward conversation had to be said. He had kept silent for long enough. "Why do you hide our relationship from Shadow?"

Her hesitation to answer made his heart race with anxiety. She sighed, once again feeling the negative emotions wash over her. "Because I feel guilty..."

"Why?"

Again, she sighed, sitting up in her bed, she wrapped the blanket around her naked body. "Because when you were gone, he promised me to always be there for me and the baby. He proved that every day. Even now. I was so grateful but I never knew how to thank him. Then of course, you came back and I was so happy. But, I couldn't bring myself to tell Shadow that I didn't need him anymore. That we could be a family. It's been eating away at me for allowing him to get so close to us and now I have to push him away... I don't know what to do. If I had just been brave enough to tell him, i wouldn't feel so ashamed for wanting you."

So that was why she didn't show her affection to him in front of Shadow. The thought of looking like she was pushing him away was causing her grief. It all made sense now. Amy, being the sweet, considerate person she was, couldn't bring herself to hurt Shadow. Her silence and docile nature towards him had been unresolved gratitude, not love. "So you aren't dating him?" His eyes widened, realising he said that aloud.

Amy turned to the blue male next to her. "What? No! Sonic, I told you he and I are good friends. He knows what I feel for you."

He sat up beside her and took her hand in his. "Ames, you gotta tell him." He looked deep into her eyes. "I get it, having that conversation will be difficult but it's causing more problems to be quiet about it." He knew he was being a hypocrite. If he had come to her about his concerns in the first place, he wouldn't be invested so deep into his plans to get Shadow away from her. "Just because he's helped you, doesn't mean you have to feel guilty for seeking out what you want. You have nothing to be ashamed about." Bringing her hand to his lips, he kissed her hand. "It's time we put our family first."

"You're right. I've let this go on for too long." She leaned against him, resting her head against his chest. "I love you."

His heart quickened at the three words. He had heard those words from her so many times, why did it feel so good now? He shuffled slightly, making her look up at him. He couldn't describe what he was feeling but like his best friend had told him in his lesson on love, it was indescribable. "I... Love you..."

Their moment was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening downstairs. Shadow had returned with Bolt. Horrified, Amy gasped, jumping out of bed and frantically opened her wardrobe to get some clothes on. "Oh my gosh! Why is he back so soon?!"

"I think _we're_ the ones who lost track of time." Sonic snickered. Getting out of bed, he slipped his gloves and socks back on. He watched as she threw a white t-shirt on and shorts. His marks that he planted across his upper body still visible. He decided not to remind her of the bruises, wanting to see Shadow's face.

Scurrying down the stairs, the pink hedgehog rushed over to pick up her son, refusing to look Shadow in the eye. "Oh my little prince. I've missed you. Have you been good for Shadow?" Her eyes reluctantly met his. "You okay?" She attempted small talk, feeling embarrassed.

He didn't respond to her. His eyes trailed to the visible bruises on her neck and chest. Those kind of injuries could not be accidental. He then scanned the room, noticing her discarded clothes on the sofa. Amy followed his gaze, noticing her clothes. She blushed, looking visibly ashamed.

"Hey little guy!" Sonic appeared behind Amy, he took Bolt out of Amy's arms and gently nuzzled his nose with his own. He turned to Shadow, smiling with hidden mischievousness. "Thanks for watching him, Shad."

The nickname made Shadow turn to the blue hedgehog. He noticed the scratches on his arms. Seeing enough evidence, he figured out what they had done in his absence. His facade never vanished. He kept his usual unfazed demeanour despite the pain he felt building in his chest. His eyes met hers again, neither of them saying anything. The message didn't need to be said.

She felt awful, embarrassed and guilty. Like a delinquent teenager caught with the bad boy by their father. As horrible and despicable as she felt, she had to listen to Sonic and put her family first. She held her head high, not looking away from him, getting her point across. Sonic was right after all, she had a right to be happy.

Noticing the awkward silence, Sonic stepped in to save his girl. "You must be exhausted after watching Bolt all day. Why don't you have a break? We've got this." He stepped in between the hedgehogs, smiling pretentiously to his rival. He couldn't help but feel powerful in that moment. He was the alpha. He won.

Shadow reluctantly nodded, turning to the pink hedgehog. "I'll leave you to freshen up." With that, he left.

Amy covered her mouth, feeling nauseated. "Oh god I feel awful!"

Wrapping his arm around her, he kissed her forehead lovingly. "You did the right thing, Ames." He rubbed her back, attempting to calm her nerves. "How about I run you a bath? Relax a bit. I'll watch Bolt."

"I'm so lucky to have you." She smiled at her lover.

He gave her a weak smile before hugging her. The guilt started to make itself known. She wouldn't have said that if she knew he planned all of this. Pushing his guilt aside, the blue hero held his family close. Finally, he could be the father he wanted to be.

* * *

"So how did it go?" Knuckles asked. His voice came through the communicator.

Having stepped outside with Bolt to talk to his friend about the plan, the hedgehog stood near the front of Amy's house. Holding his sleeping son in one arm whilst talking to the echidna through the communicator. Sonic refrained from giving him any details about what happened, feeling embarrassed by the conversation. "It worked..."

"You got rough then? I told you it would work!" The echidna boasted. "So what now? With Shadow out the way, are you gonna be playing family man?"

"I'm not playing. I want this."

"You want Amy now? I thought all this was for Bolt?"

Sonic looked around, ensuring no one could hear their conversation. "I don't know man. When she told me she loved me, I felt... I'm not even sure what I felt but... I think I want this. I want to be with her." His cheeks burned as a blush swept across his cheeks.

"Well I'm happy for you Sonic. It's about time you give that girl a chance."

"Thanks Knucks. I better go now. Talk later." He cancelled the call and smiled down at his sleeping child before entering the house.

Jumping down from a tree close to Amy's house, Shadow looked towards the home where Sonic just entered and frowned. Gaining knowledge of Sonic's plans, he vowed to ensure Amy's best interests were met.

He had promised to be there for her after all.


	6. Make it Eternal

Chapter Six: Make it Eternal

With Shadow out of their way, Sonic was finally able to be the hands on father that he wished to be. He was still around of course, taking a less essential role but still lingering around to Sonic's dismay. Now that he had secured his position as Amy's lover and Bolt's dad, no amount of lingering could change that.

His absence was for the best. His bond with both his son and Amy had grown dramatically. Perfecting his abilities to change, clothe, bathe and feed his son whilst maintaining a healthy and romantic relationship with Amy. He loved every moment. He was excited every morning, waking up to his happy family, learning something new about them everyday.

Even better, he was learning things about himself in the process. A lesson in maturity. Although he couldn't take back what he had done to her, he learnt to appreciate her for all that she was. A loyal friend, a devoted lover and a fantastic mother. She was just beautiful in every way.

And to ensure his family unit would forever be a family unit, he was going to make it official. He was going to marry this girl.

"Are you absolutely sure about this, Sonic? I mean, marriage is a big step and you've only been officially dating Amy for a month." Tails tried to make the blue hedgehog see sense but Sonic seemed to be in a happy bubble of illusion, desiring the big fantasy instead of thinking things through rationally.

Knuckles agreed. Nodding his head at Tails' opinion. "I think he's right. Do you really want to get married now? I mean I've never saw you as a guy to settle down."

Carrying his son in the baby carrier strapped to his torso, Sonic held his son's hands as the boys walked along the pavement, in the big city. "Guys. I've never been more certain about anything in my life. I should have done this as soon as I got back."

"Just because you guys have a kid together, don't mean you have to get married for the wrong reasons." Tails told his best friend.

"What _wrong reasons?_ I love her. I really do. It's just like you said, Tails. Everything about her is amazing. How she perseveres through everyday when she's had little to no sleep, how she's always thinking of everyone else before herself and--" He chuckled to himself. "How she has these little freak outs when Bolt coughs or even sneezes." He sighed contently, looking down at his boy. "She's just... perfect."

His friends had stopped walking in the midst of his declaration. Never had they heard their friend talk so lovingly about anyone before. It was unfamiliar and yet so warming to see how happy he was.

Sonic turned around, noticing his friends had stopped walking along side him. "Guys?"

His friends walked up to him and pulled the hedgehog into a hug. "Congrats man." Knuckles patted his blue friend's back.

"So happy for you both." Tails held back his emotions. His best friend was getting married. It was the start of a whole new chapter in his life. It made him tear up.

"Uh, baby on board!" Sonic tried to get his friends off him. Bolt looked around, confused yet unharmed.

"Sorry. We're just happy for you and Amy. When do you plan on proposing anyway?" Knuckles asked.

They continued their walk along the street, heading to one of the finest jewelry stores in the city. "I thought I'd do it at the celebration event coming up. Add a bit of pizazz."

"I'm sure she'll love it." Tails enthused.

"Of course she will. She'll want the world to know she's marrying me." He smirked. "Isn't that right, little man?" Sonic cooed to his son in a baby voice. His voice made the boy smile brightly.

Arriving at the store, the boys walked in and looked around at the rings, examining all the variety of gems and colours. Sonic scanned all the rings behind the glass, he felt rather uneducated on rings. They all looked the same to him. All holding diamonds in various shapes and sizes but none particularly stood out to him.

"What kind of style does Amy like?" Tails stood next to him, trying to guess which one Sonic had been staring at.

"Style? They all look the same to me!"

"Can I help you sir?" A store assistant approached the men from behind, his tone monotonous, possibly slightly irritated. Sonic tensed up from the sudden, unfamiliar voice. He turned around slowly, embarrassed to be caught bad mouthing the collection. The store assistant went from bothered by his comment about the rings, to astonished to see the hero in the store. "Sonic The Hedgehog?"

"Hi there." He waved, still feeling slight unease from being confronted.

"Good afternoon sir! May I say it's an honour to have you in our store!"

"Uh, thanks. We're just looking at the rings... Great collection by the way." Sonic lied, grinning from cheek to cheek.

The store assistant nodded, ignoring his previous comment about the ring collection. He gestured for Sonic to follow him as he walked towards another casing containing more rings. The boys stood in front of the case, looking at the array of rings beneath the glass. "So, tell me about this lucky person."

"What do you need to know?" Sonic asked.

Tails leant over to whisper to Sonic. "He needs to know her personality to help you choose the best ring for Amy."

"Ah, right. Well, she's girly and... Oh, funny! That's a good one. A big fan of mine. Mother to my kid."

Knuckles and Tails looked towards the hedgehog in confusion. It was as though his previous statement in regards to his lover had completely vanished from his memory.

Sonic felt their eyes on him yet didn't bother look at either of them. His eyes remained on the assistant. "You know what they say, the bigger, the better. How about we see the big ones?"

The assistant nodded, taking out the rings with bigger diamonds and gems. "If she's a modern girl, I would highly recommend the rose gold." He carefully picked up a box containing a rose gold ring with a peach sapphire in the centre. "This is a beautiful rose gold ring with a 4.5 carat peach champagne sapphire, oval cut, beautiful on the more delicate of fingers. Along the sides of the sapphire are the finest prong diamonds." He allowed the boys to look closely at the ring.

Sonic tried to refrain showing his distaste. "She's a rose alright. I'm just not sure this is for her though."

The ring was removed and placed back underneath the casing. "If rose gold isn't her thing, how about this 14k white gold, 0.5 carat emerald cut diamond with emerald halo. The halo banding is a very popular choice right now. Essentiating this gleaming jewel yet providing a more modest contrast to the diamond."

"Nice." Sonic nodded his head. "Though I'm not really feeling this one, you know?"

"Do you have any idea what you're looking for Sonic?" Tails raised his eyebrow, feeling a little suspicious about his best friend's intentions once more.

Sonic turned to the teenager and flashed a smile. "Don't worry Tails. I got this."

The previous ring had been taken back and place under the casing, another one being presented to Sonic and his friends. "This is one of our store's finest. Its a six-prong setting, holding a stunning round cut diamond in the centre. See how it illuminates a floating jewel above the pavé banding. A truly romantic ring for the perfect love story."

* * *

The boys were mesmerised by the shining ring that sparkled in the light. The shine reflected into Sonic's eyes. Yes, this had to be the one. It was big, it was romantic. It was everything she deserved. "This is the one!"

Tails, gradually taking his eyes away from the splendid jewelry, turned to Sonic again, frowning at the hedgehog. "Are you really sure? You're not just picking a big ring just because you're compensating for something?"

"Compensating for what exactly?" Sonic looked bothered by his best friend's questioning.

Knuckles chuckled to himself. "Heh, compensating for something. Hit the guy when it hurts Tails."

Sonic and Tails glared at the echidna. Their red friend, realising they didn't approve of his teasing, looked back down at the rings, continuing to chuckle to himself. Needing his speculations answered, the fox took the hedgehog aside. "Sonic. Are you really proposing to Amy because you love her?"

"Dude, what kind of question is that?"

"You still haven't answered me."

Sonic looked down at his son, hoping the baby would allow him a distraction from the questioning. Unfortunately for him, Bolt was fast asleep. The only time he needed him to be loud and a fuss, he had to be sleeping. Reluctantly looking back at the fox, he nodded slowly. "I do love her."

"Is that the only reason? Nothing to do with this plan of yours?"

"What's with the twenty questions? I'm gonna be getting married. By choice. I thought you'd be happy for us."

"I am Sonic..." Tails sighed, doubting his own judgement. "I just can't allow you to go into a marriage with the wrong reasons." He paused, debating with himself mentally. "I'm gonna ask you one more time. Is there another reason why you're marrying Amy."

Sonic's mouth opened, only for the words to fail him. He couldn't even look the boy in the eye again after lying the first time.

Seeing Sonic's facade failing him, Tails' eyes widened. "Sonic!"

"Alright! I'm doing this to secure our relationship! With my ring on her finger, Shadow will be completely out the picture."

"You can't marry someone to push someone else away! You marry them if you want to be with them forever."

"I do see myself with her forever. I realise what I've done is wrong but I also realise now that I love her. I meant the words I said about her. She is amazing, strong... She's become everything I'm fighting for, not just Bolt. This'll be the last thing I'll do that sends Shadow the right message. That Amy will be my wife and this is my family. I swear."

As much as he disagreed with his plan, Tails decided to support his best friend. That's what best friends do after all. "Alright."

"Thanks bud." He patted the fox's arm. The pair walked back to the casing of rings. Looking down at the ring again, Sonic decided that he needed to focus more on what represented his love for Amy, rather than showing off the size of the jewel. He gave the assistant an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I don't think this is the one."

The store assistant seemed surprised by the change of opinion but smiled nonetheless. "Is there any other style you would like to see?"

Sonic rubbed his chin, thinking about Amy's particular style. She was definitely girly. Maybe a princess cut for that. She was rather traditional in the sense of wanting to settle down and have multiple children, perhaps a vintage style? He bent down and examined the rings in the casing. None of them seemed to stand out to him, nothing that made him want to propose. "I dunno. Maybe we need to loo--" His eye caught a glimpse of a small ring with a shiny blue tint. He looked at the ring, feeling the nerves in his stomach churning. "Wait. What about that one?" He pointed at the particular ring.

The assistant placed the ring in front of the boys. "This is a 1.75 carat, cushion cut blue topaz with sparkling sides of marquise diamonds. On 18k solid white gold. See how the diamonds shimmer like the leaves in the wind? Blue topaz eternal like the sea. A ring truly for the wild at heart."

Sonic beamed at the ring. It represented his spirit; wild, untamed. With this ring on her finger, it felt as though she had the power to tame him, to make him rightfully hers. Just as she had always tried to do. He took the ring in his hand, watching it glisten. "I think this is it." He looked to his friends. "One of you propose to me."

"What?!" His friends shouted at him in unison.

"I need to know if it's really the one. C'mon, take one for the team."

The boys stared at one another, neither giving in. After a long staring competition, Knuckles reluctantly gave in. "If I do this, I get to be the best man!"

"Sure pal!" Sonic gave him a thumbs up.

Taking the ring in his hand, Knuckles held it upside down in front of Sonic. "Will you marry me?"

Sonic frowned. "That's how you propose? Poor Rouge. You'll end up alone with that attitude."

The echidna growled under his breath. He held the ring between his fingers and got down on one knee. "Will you marry me?" He muttered.

"A little louder? Aren't you happy to be marrying me?"

"Will you marry me?!" Knuckles yelled at his blue friend, shoving the ring close to him.

Sonic felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of the ring. "Yes!" He took the ring out of the echidna's hand. "This is the ring!"

"Such a jerk..." Knuckles mumbled to himself.

The assistant took the ring from Sonic. "You made a great choice! Do you know her ring size?"

"Uh... A small?" How was he supposed to get her ring size if this was supposed to be a surprise?

The man pulled out a ring size chart. "If you're not certain, this may help you."

Sonic selected the ring size he assumed would fit Amy's finger. The assistant then picked out a selection of boxes. "Now, our store has a very creative display for engagement ring boxes. We have the traditional box in an array of colours, the glass box, the geode box and finally, the blooming rose engagement box."

"Well, we know which one Amy would love." His friends nodded. "I'll take the blooming rose one."

"Excellent choice." He packaged the ring in the box and placed it in a small bag. "That'll be 3575 Rings."

Sonic gulped. He knew rings were expensive but that much for a piece of metal with gems on it? Nevertheless, that piece of jewelry was worth it if it was for Amy. "That's fine."

"The company recommends insurance on your purchase. It's an extra 100R but it ensures your purchase can be repaired and replaced if anything were to happen to it."

Sonic nodded at the man and made his purchase. Whatever he had to do to fight for his family, he would do it. Looking at the ring one more time, in the rose box, he couldn't help but smile, thinking of her reaction when she saw it.

There was no way she would say no.

* * *

Arriving home, Sonic walked through the house to find Amy making dinner in the kitchen. She was facing away from him as he entered the kitchen, stirring a pot of sauce. She turned to him upon hearing their son gurgling.

"There are my boys." Amy smiled. She greeted Sonic with a kiss on his cheek and did the same for Bolt. "How was your day? Was Bolt okay? Did he drink all of his bottle?"

"He sure did. He's been good all day." He took the boy out of the baby carrier and handed him to his mother. "What about you? How was your day?" He sniffed the aroma of the food, immediately recognising the smell. "Don't tell me you've made chilli dogs?"

Amy giggled, a light blush appearing on her face. "I wanted to show my appreciation. You've been such a blessing lately so I thought I'd make you your favourite meal. And I've made chocolate lava cake for dessert."

His heart fluttered at her kind gesture. Pulling the girl into a hug, he kissed her forehead. "I really don't deserve you."

"Don't say that. You deserve the best! You're so caring and selfless. An amazing father and partner. I still can't believe I'm with Sonic the hedgehog! Ooh~" She gushed, touching her burning cheek with her free hand.

Sonic gave her a weak smile. If only she knew what he had done...

"I also went to get my outfit for your celebration this Saturday and picked up a little outfit for when Bolt's asleep." Her finger gently caressed his chest. "We could have an early night, if you want to."

He grinned. "That sounds too good to turn down."

Amy winked at her lover. "I'm going to give Bolt his feed and then it should be bath time." She grabbed the strap of the baby bag that rested on his shoulder. "Do you want me take that?"

"No!" He said rather quickly. He held the top of the bag, preventing her from opening it. "I'll clean Bolt's bottle and then I'll come and help you with bath time."

"My hero." She smiled. She took the boy out the kitchen and up to his bedroom. Sonic took the opportunity to find a secret place to hide the ring until the celebration party. Looking around the kitchen, he decided to put the ring on top of the kitchen cabinets. Amy was far too short to reach up there unless she climbed on the countertop. "Perfect."

Taking the ring out of the baby bag, he placed the bag on the ground and climbed up on the kitchen counter to hide the ring on top of the cabinet. To his surprise, he found a black box already in his chosen spot. "Hmm, what's this?" He took the box and opened it, finding a simple ring with a diamond in the centre. A pit formed in his stomach. He doubted Amy was going to propose to him. Especially with a ring with a diamond on it.

Anger began to overwhelm him when he realised that kind of ring could only belong to someone who also planned on proposing to Amy.

"That faker!" He growled. He took the box replaced it with his own. Shadow had gone too far now. He wanted his girl? He was going to have to fight him first.


	7. It's Unraveling

Chapter Seven: It's Unraveling

_"Shadow!" His voice bellowed across the open stretch of field towards the ultimate lifeform. The __hedgehog slowly turned to him, remaining emotionless. His arms were crossed over his chest, unfazed by Sonic's temper aiming at him. "This ends now, faker!" Shadow nodded before charging at the blue hedgehog. Anticipating the black hedgehog's attacks, Sonic braced himself for a brawl. Shadow came spin dashing towards him, building vigorous force. Sonic managed to hold him back, using his brute strength to throw the powerful hedgehog away from him. He too began to spin dash, charging towards Shadow. _

_The fight ensued. Both hedgehogs refused to hold back in the all out assault. Spin dashing against each other viciously, trying to break one another's defenses. Sonic kicked the black hedgehog hard, sending him out of his spin dash and scraping his head against the grass, collecting the dirt and mud against his fur._

_Sonic rushed over to Shadow, grabbing him by one of his quills and pulling it hard, forcing the hedgehog's head up. "You will not take my family. You hear me?"_

_He turned to the blue hedgehog slowly and opened his mouth to say something. The sound of a high pitched wail came screeching out his mouth._

_"Huh?" _

Sonic shot up in bed, alerted by the sound of his crying son. Just a dream. That explained why Shadow was such an easy opponent. The real fight they were likely to have would probably be more of a challenge. He understood fighting Shadow would be anything but easy. Previous fights with the black hedgehog had left him rather beaten up despite being a tough fighter himself. Though he was sure this time, he would come out on top. Rather than having to fight Shadow for the sake of doing the right thing, he was fighting with emotion. Justified anger. A muchly deserved kick back in his rightful place.

It had been a few days since he had found the ring in the kitchen. There had been a few attempts where Sonic had tried to confront the ultimate lifeform, but with Amy always being around and Shadow's supposed inability to leave her alone for one damn minute, Sonic had no other choice but to let his anger fester inside of him.

Which probably explained why he was now dreaming about their fight he was going to initiate.

With a yawn, Amy got out of bed and went to tend to Bolt. Now fully awake himself, Sonic decided to follow the girl into Bolt's room and watched her as she began the morning routine with their son. He smiled at his little family, admiring them from the door frame. His eyes then spotted Bolt's bag was already packed. "Is Bolt going somewhere?"

Amy sat in the rocking chair, feeding Bolt. Her eyes slowly followed his gaze on the bag. "Oh. I packed it last night. Shadow's babysitting Bolt whilst we go to your celebration party."

"What?" He turned to the pink hedgehog. "Since when did we decide this?"

"I just assumed it would be an adult party. No babies allowed. Besides, what with you and Shadow being forever enemies, he refused to go so I asked if he could watch Bolt."

At least he knew where he wasn't invited. For once. "It's my party so I want Bolt to be there."

Amy furrowed her brow. "This isn't because Shadow's babysitting, is it?"

"What? No. Of course not!" He lied. As much as he would have liked to have a nice, baby-free evening with her before he proposed, he'd sooner propose to her in the middle of a battle than have that faker babysit his son again. "It's just that I want him to be there with us as we celebrate."

Amy nodded back at him. She wasn't going to protest on the day of his celebration. "Alright. I'll let Shadow know about the change of plans once Bolt's done with his feed."

She was mostly likely going to contact him on her communicator. That gave him an idea. He would use her communicator to get Shadow and confront him about the ring. "Don't worry Ames, I've got it covered." She nodded at him again, turning her attention to focus on Bolt. Sonic walked back to their bedroom where he found the communicator on her bedside table. He sent the message to Shadow's communicator and then placed Amy's device in his back quills. Now he could finally get Shadow alone and put an end to his intervening once and for all.

* * *

After dressing Bolt in his adorably dapper outfit of white bodysuit with a fake bowtie stitched into the fabric, dark blue shorts and braces, Sonic held his son up and cooed at him. "Looking pretty snazzy, little man. You'll be breaking all the hearts at the party."

"Sonic?" Amy's voice came from the bedroom.

The blue hedgehog walked across the hall, into the bedroom with his son in his arm. "What is it?" He stopped abruptly at the bedroom door, catching sight of his girlfriend in her formal outfit. It was a royal blue, off shoulder, mermaid evening dress with a side slit, showing one of her long legs. He gawped at her as she twirled around in the dress, in front of the mirror attached to her wardrobe. She looked stunning. How the fabric clinged to her body, how the dress flowed romantically as she spun around, her two quills had been pinned back out of her face and flowed down her back. A simple yet radiant look.

Her hands brushed over her hips, rubbing them as if she was attempting to erase them. "Do you think my hips look big in this dress?"

His words stuttered, surprising himself in the process. Her new style had caught him off guard. He had expected a dress similar to her old one. Red, flaring and cute. It was as though motherhood had matured her taste in clothing as well as her personality. "You look..."

"Fat. I look fat don't I? Stupid hips! Ugh, one thing I don't like about pregnancy is the disfiguration." She sighed, continuing to rub her hips. "I knew I shouldn't have let that assistant persuade me into a dress like this."

"Ames." Sonic walked up behind her and held onto her waist, looking at the three of them in the mirror. "You look amazing."

"You're not just saying that?"

"No. I mean it." He squeezed her hip lovingly. "You look beautiful. Not to mention sexy." He kissed her bare shoulder. "Besides. I like having something to squeeze." He continued to kiss her shoulder, his butterfly kisses slowly leading up to her neck.

"Sonic." She giggled. "Not in front of Bolt."

"Is it wrong to show my son how I feel about his mother?"

"Depends on how you're showing it." Her attention turned to Bolt who was babbling away in Sonic's arm. Her eyes danced at the sight of his outfit. "Oh sweetheart! You look so cute!" She took the boy out of his dad's arm and cuddled him lovingly. "Mummy's little cutie!" She then looked back at Sonic. "Aren't you gonna get dressed?"

Sonic looked down at himself. "Don't I look good the way I am?"

Amy looked the hedgehog up and down. He wore nothing but his usual attire. She rolled her eyes and opened the wardrobe, pulling out a suit jacket and bowtie and giving it to Sonic. "Good thing I got this for you."

"Aw and I didn't even get you anything!" He joked with her. "Alright. I'm gonna go shower."

Amy nodded, making her way out of room with Bolt, she called to Sonic as she walked down the hall. "Don't be too long! Tails and Cream are coming over to go with us to the party."

"No worries!" He slowly walked to the bathroom, already knowing he was going to take his time.

* * *

"Sonic! Are you nearly done? We're all waiting for you!" She called up to her boyfriend who was still in the bathroom.

Their friends had arrived 40 minutes after Sonic went to shower, meaning he had been in there for over an hour. After knocking on the bathroom door three times and hearing Sonic's reassuring words of "I'll be out in a minute", Amy was about ready to leave him. She slumped against the bannister and let out a frustrated sigh. "Oh~ We'll be late at this rate."

Tails shrugged. "You know what Sonic's like, Amy. He'll probably want to be fashionably late."

"He could at least let us know rather than make us wait around for him..." Her babbling son in Cream's arms brought her out of her annoyance. She smiled at the boy. "Is daddy taking too long?" She earned more babbling in response.

"Aw he sounds so cute! He's grown up so fast!" Cream gushed at the baby in her arms.

Tails rubbed the baby's head, smiling down at the boy. "Hard to believe he's three months old now. How's Sonic coping with parenthood?" He asked. He was already informed of Sonic's parenting testimony by the blue hero himself but he figured he'd act none the wiser to appear more innocent to Sonic's previous plans.

Amy walked over to her friends, allowing Bolt to grasp her finger. "He's been amazing. I feel bad for thinking he'd runaway as soon as he saw Bolt. He couldn't be more committed to the little guy."

"And what about you two? Have you two been okay?"

A blush appeared on her face. "Yes!" She fell into a blissful daydream. "Sonic is such a romantic! Being his girlfriend is everything I thought it would be and more! Just thinking about it is making me all giddy!" She giggled to herself, holding her blushing cheeks.

Tails gave her a weak smile and nodded. Knowing he was lying to her about what Sonic had done was still nagging him. He wouldn't tell her though. As much of a friend Amy was to him, the fox could never imagine betraying Sonic. And so, he remained silent and continued to nod.

Their talk had been cut off by Sonic's footsteps. He came downstairs, rubbing a towel against his dripping quills. "I'm out!"

"You're not even ready!" Amy huffed, her fists balled against her hips.

"Must'a lost track of time." He shrugged.

"I've been calling you for an hour!" His girlfriend scowled at the blue hedgehog.

"Sorry Ames. I didn't mean to make you all wait for me. How about you guys go on without me. I'll catch up."

His friends seemed surprised by the sudden change of plans. Tails and Cream then agreed, nodding their heads towards their blue friend. Amy however huffed at her partner. "We waited a whole hour for you and now you're telling us to leave without you?!" She crossed her arms. "You better get ready now or you'll be late."

"What? Me? Late? Never." He smirked. He pulled his girlfriend into a hug. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Amy blushed, her annoyance instantly vanished with his touch. "You better." She grinned at him. She kissed his cheek before taking her son out of Cream's arms and placing him in her pushchair. "Alright. We'll see you at the party. Don't take too long." She gave him an insistent look.

"You forget who you're talking to, woman." Sonic opened the door for his friends, watching as they all walked out the door.

Amy turned back to her boyfriend and smiled. "We love you." She, along with her friends began to walk down the path.

He almost felt bad for staying behind to continue his plan but if it meant he could finally keep Shadow away from his family, it was worth the little lies. With the casual goodbyes out of the way, Sonic rushed into the kitchen. He jumped on the counter and grabbed the ring for Amy and raced upstairs to the bedroom. Placing the jewelry in his suit pocket, the hedgehog got to work, typing another message to Shadow with Amy's communicator. Clicking send, he just had to wait for Shadow to arrive.

* * *

He waited outside her home, figuring it wouldn't be a great idea to initiate any confrontations or fights whilst inside the house. His back against the closed front door, tapping his foot impatiently. He looked down at his communicator for the time. No doubt he would be late at this point.

But again, anything for his family.

It was ashame to leave this much needed talk on the day of his potential engagement too. Originally, his plans were to go along with his friends, have a good time, make Amy feel like a million rings and then pop the question. Thanks to Shadow being literally a lurking shadow, a late arrival and a lack of preparation had to suffice.

Damn that hedgehog for constantly ruining things for him.

Speak of the devil, the black hedgehog appeared a few feet in front of him, standing at the end of the pathway. His arms once again crossed over his chest.

"Shadow." Sonic faked his happiness upon seeing him.

"Why did you call me here?" His tone was low and intimidating.

Sonic hesitated momentarily before continuing. How had he known it was him who sent the message? Regardless, he continued his pretence. "I wanted to talk with you."

"Talk?"

"Yes, talk."

"How about you get to the point?"

His dreams of this moment had been a lot more climatic. Nevertheless, he took out the black box from his back quills and held it up for Shadow to see. "Does this look familiar?" He instantly recognised the box yet his demeanour could not show his emotion. Sonic grew impatient as the black hedgehog stood before him, silently staring back at him. Why wasn't he responding? His lack of expression only made Sonic more frustrated. "Why do you have a ring in my house?" He was met with silence, angering him even more. "Answer me!"

"This isn't your house." Shadow corrected him.

"It's my home. The home of MY family. The family you have been trying to take away from me since I've been gone!" His fists balled at his sides with anger. He was more than ready to take that faker on. He just needed answers. "I've asked you before. What is your deal with Amy? Why are you always with her?"

"I made a promise to always be there for her." His answer was basic. Too basic. Making a promise to always be there was one thing, proposing was another thing.

Sonic opened the box, looking at the ring again. It was a simple ring. A gold band with a single round cut diamond in the centre. Not as detailed as his own. "That doesn't explain the ring. Why have you bought a ring? Why was it in Amy's kitchen?"

Shadow looked away into the distance, looking bored with the interrogation. "Stability."

"Stability?"

He nodded. "Yes, stability. Amy needed stability whilst you were away and I offered that."

"That still doesn't explain the ring. I get it, you helped her out. But I've been back for 2 and a half months and you still won't leave her alone. And now I find this ring... It doesn't make sense!" His legs shot him towards the black hedgehog. He stood inches away from him, staring coldly at his rival. "You could have still provided stability without marrying her. Why would you propose?" They stared at one another, not daring to blink. Like two alpha males locking on to one another, analysing, intimidating, seeking a weakness in each other.

That was when he saw it, that fine glistening secret hidden deep in Shadow's dull appearing eyes. Sonic let out of a shaky breath, his anger spilling out of him. "You're in love with her, aren't you?"

"No." His answer was quick. Slipping off his tongue immediately after Sonic questioned him.

"Yeah, yeah that makes sense. Sometime during my absence, you fell in love with her and with me out of the way, you took on my family and were going to propose to her..."

"No." He interrupted Sonic's conclusion.

"But when I came back, I got in the way of _your_ family plan and so you tried to stop me from being a dad to my son. That's why you are always around." He couldn't help but grin, knowing he was getting under the hedgehog's skin. "I stole your family and you hate me for it."

An unexpected punch from Shadow sent him flying back. He fell against his back, his hand instinctively holding his jaw after the fatal blow to the face. He got up slowly, chuckling sadistically to himself. "So that's it? The secret's finally out." He faced the hedgehog once more, grinning widely. "Guess it hit you pretty hard when I marked her then, huh? Thanks again for taking Bolt off our hands. It was just as I planned."

Shadow charged at the blue hedgehog, grabbing his throat and slamming him against the front door. "But that's not the only thing you planned is it?" His voice low and cold. "You've never cared for her. All of this was just apart of your plan."

The grin on Sonic's face fell, replaced with a serious scowl. "What are you talking about?" He felt the sudden pit of nerves fall into his stomach. Did he know?

The grip of Shadow's grasp tightened. "The only reason you attempted to play happy families was so you could get close to Bolt. None of this was for Amy. You just used her. Just like you always have."

Sonic struggled to break free of Shadow's choking grip. "No..." He breathed out.

"That's not what you told Knuckles."

Shit. He knew. How did he know about that? Damn, why did he have to confront Shadow?! Alert and hostile, Sonic shoved the black hedgehog away from him and spin dashed towards him. Shadow too began to spin dash. Colliding against one another, neither holding back their strength.

Sonic grabbed the black hedgehog, still in motion and threw him into the ground. Shadow instinctively landed on his feet. Still airborne, Sonic kicked Shadow as he came back down to the ground. The ultimate lifeform blocked his attack. Angered by Shadow's constant blocking, Sonic charged at him again, choosing to fight him in close combat. Punches were swinging from both hedgehogs violently.

"You won't take them away from me! They're my family, not yours!" Sonic growled.

"You broke the sanctimony of _your_ family, the moment you started manipulating Amy. You've been using her ever since you got back." His hands tightly gripped onto Sonic's shoulder, both struggling to force the other off.

Sonic's hands were against Shadow's shoulders. Brawling with the black hedgehog. "This is your jealousy talking, Shadow. You can't handle knowing she chose me." Another grin appeared on his face. "She was always gonna pick me. She has always been mine."

"You've never deserved her."

"And you do?"

"She deserves so much than you. They both do."

Sonic glared at his rival. "Don't you dare bring Bolt into this."

"Did you really think your plan wouldn't involve him? You've been manipulating his mother, bringing your friends into your mess. Her friends. Do you really think she's gonna want you near her or him after what you've done?"

No. She couldn't find out. She couldn't know what he had done to get where he was now. He had to get to her now! He couldn't let Shadow get to her first.

Channeling his anxiety into anger, Sonic forced Shadow out of their brawl and punched his eye. The ultimate lifeform staggered back but surprised Sonic with a quick recovery, retaliating a punch against his lip. Growling, Sonic attacked the hedgehog with all his might, kicking and punching his rival until Shadow dropped to the floor. Panting, Sonic stood over him, balling his fists. "Leave my family alone." He threatened the black hedgehog.

Sonic rushed back into the house, grabbing his suit, he raced off to the location of the party. He could only hope to keep his secrets away from Amy.

* * *

The well established hotel held the party for the blue hero. A grand, modern villa just outside the city. Accommodating 100 rooms. The hall was filled with white and royal blue decor with a picture of Sonic attached to the wall. The guests were talking amongst themselves, dancing to the music and enjoying the atmosphere.

Sonic arrived at the hotel. He didn't dare waste time in admiring the location. He had to get to Amy before Shadow did.

How could he have screwed up so badly? With Shadow knowing what he had done to Amy, he was on a countdown to the inevitable. All he could do was keep Shadow away and just hope Amy would believe him.

He slipped into the bathroom in the reception area and checked out the damage in the mirror. Ugh. He hadn't gotten out of the fight completely unscathed. His quills were wild, cuts and bruises forming across his torso and a little dry blood across his jaw. Far from picture ready.

Fixing himself up, the blue hedgehog threw on his suit and made his way out the bathroom and towards the sound of the guests. He tried to keep a low profile, not wanting anybody to distract him from reaching his family. He lingered around the outskirts of the people, looking around for Amy or his friends.

"There you are!" Knuckles wrapped an arm around Sonic's shoulder, causing the hedgehog to jump. "Amy's been steaming about how late you are. What happened?" The echidna squinted his eyes, looking at Sonic's lip. "Have you been fighting?"

"Where's Amy." Sonic asked his friend, still trying to look for his girl.

Knuckles looked into the crowd. "She was with the girls last time I checked. They were by the garden exit."

"Thanks Knuckles." He broke free from his red friend and began making his way towards the garden exit. He turned momentarily to Knuckles. "Look out for Shadow."

"Why? What's going on?!"

"Please!" Sonic disappeared into the crowd, carefully dodging the guests. He could just see Amy and Bolt with the girls. Just as he was about to get to them, he bumped into Tails.

The fox turned to his best friend, looking surprised. "You're late." He frowned, holding up his communicator. "Amy isn't the easiest person to calm down you know."

"Tails. Stay alert for Shadow." Sonic's cryptic message left Tails confused and worried.

"What's happened now?"

"He knows about the plan. He knows what I did. I've managed to stall him but no doubt he's gonna come here and ruin everything."

The fox shook his head and looked towards Amy. "Go and be with Amy. The last thing you need is to draw any further attention to yourself. I'll keep a lookout for Shadow."

Sonic nodded, leaving his buddy to survey the area. He made his way to his family, pulling Amy into an unexpected hug. He held her tightly, silently providing himself with the comfort of her touch.

"Sonic!" Amy gasped. "Where have you been!" She pulled away from the hero and gave him a frown. "We've been waiting for you forever!"

"My bad. I'll make it up to you." He rested his head against hers, taking in her sweet smell.

Her anger subsided immediately. "You said that earlier. You better have something big planned, Sonic."

"I do." He pulled her into a kiss. He ignored the stinging from his lips, just remembering Shadow had punched him there.

Amy broke the kiss, noticing the coarse feel of his lips. She stared at his lip and gasped. "What happened?"

"Nothing. Just walked into a door is all." He lied.

She obviously didn't believe him. The way her arm fell to her hip and her eyebrow raised at him. He gave her a smile and distracted the both of them by playing with Bolt. Just then, the mayor showed up behind him, smiling brightly.

"Ah, there's the man of the hour." He shook Sonic's hand. He leaned forward and spoke through his teeth. "look to your right."

"Huh?" The cameras flashed as he shook hands with the mayor. "Oh."

The leopard waved at the crowd. "Marvellous turnout. Wouldn't you agree, Sonic?"

"Uh yeah, great."

"So glad you approve. The taxpayers have spent a fortune on this special occasion. just to make sure everything runs smoothly. Anything for the saviour of the world! Aaaand smile." The cameras flashed a final time. The leopard turned to Sonic. "Have a wonderful evening!" With that, he left the hedgehog with Amy.

"That guy is all for the publicity." Amy shook her head.

"Still, if this is a party in my name, we better not waste it." He pulled his family close and joined their group of friends again.

As time went on, Sonic found himself overthinking. His anxiety was in overdrive. His legs told him to run. To take Amy and Bolt and just run. Yeah, that was a good idea, take them away on a supposed night stroll, away from the party. Heck, away from city. Anywhere away from Shadow.

His communicator began to beep, snapping him out of his daydream. Amy noticed the flashing light too, staring at the light for a moment and then expecting Sonic to answer it. He gave her a reassuring smile and pecked her cheek. "One sec." He walked away from his girlfriend and child and answered his communicator. "What's happening?"

"Shadow spotted on site." Tails' voice came through the communicator. Sonic slowly lowered his hand down, the anxiety kicking into panic mode. He turned to his girlfriend, desperate to cling onto her. "Sonic?" Tails' voice once again came through the communicator after Sonic failed to cancel the call.

"Is everything okay?" Amy asked her partner, her face full of concern.

"I'm getting kinda bored. Wanna go now?" He grabbed her hand. He turned towards the garden exit. They could easily escape from there.

"The mayor wanted to make a speech for you." She reminded him. Damn it! There wasn't time to think about trivial speeches.

He gently pulled her towards the exit, insisting they leave. "Let's just get some fresh air then. Poor Bolt must be getting stuffy in his hall." He was talking faster than normal, alarming his girlfriend.

"Sonic? What's gotten into you?"

Before he could answer, he noticed Tails and Knuckles standing nearby. "Just a sec Ames." He left his confused girlfriend and walked over to his friends. "Where is he?"

"Coming in from the reception area. Think he spotted us watching him though." Knuckles informed the blue hedgehog.

Great. That meant that faker could have been anywhere now. "I gotta go." He dashed back to Amy and grabbed her hand again. "We really should take a walk."

"Uh, okay?" Amy reluctantly followed Sonic, still clueless to his sudden behaviour. The family walked towards the garden exit where they were met with Shadow entering the hall. Sonic stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh hi Shadow. Didn't think you'd show up." Amy casually greeted the black hedgehog.

Sonic released Amy's hand and stood in front of his rival. "I told you to stay away." He spoke in a low, threatening voice.

"She deserves to know who she's really dating." Shadow returned the same tone of voice. "A lying, manipulative excuse for a hedgehog."

His panic acted for him and shoved Shadow away. "Back off!" His chest heaved with anger. The music in the background was cut off as everyone stared at the rival hedgehogs. Sonic noticed the awkward silence and looked around at the guests, immediately regretting his actions.

Amy, realising their hostility towards one another, gave her son to Cream. "Hold him." She rushed over to the boys and stood in the middle of them. "What the hell is going on?!" The male hedgehogs were silent, both staring at one another. "Will one of you tell me what's happening?"

Shadow slowly looked from Sonic, to Amy. "Hes been using you."

"What?" Amy was once again completely clueless. She looked over her shoulder at her lover.

Sonic raised his hands in defense. "Don't listen to him. He's lying." He was talking frantically again.

Curious to hear Shadow out, Amy turned back to the black hedgehog, nodding for him to go on. "I heard him talking to Knuckles. He's been using you to get to Bolt. He has been ever since he got back."

Sonic held onto his girlfriend's hand and gently tugged, forcing her to look at him. "Ames. I wouldn't do that to you. I love you. I really do." He caressed her arms, desperate for her to take his side. Despite still being clueless, she looked hurt, devastated even.

"He didn't want me to help you raise Bolt so he planned to have you on his side to keep me away." Shadow insisted, his usual demeanour on show.

Amy slowly shook her head, trying to take in all the information but was still in disbelief. She looked up at her boyfriend, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. But it made sense. With Sonic showing her affection and getting her to bottle feed Bolt to get Shadow and Bolt out the house... No, he wouldn't do that. He loved her. He told her he loved her right after they had made love. He wouldn't lie about that after something so intimate.

Would he?

His heart was hammering into his chest at the sight of her. She was on the verge of tears, pleading with her eyes to tell her Shadow was making it up. He was frantic, he was on edge. He couldn't let her go now. Not now that he had fallen so hard for her. "He's in love with you!" He blurted out. If Shadow was going to throw him head first into the deep end, he was coming with him. "He's saying all this because he doesn't want us together! He was even gonna propose, look!" He took out Shadow's black box from his back quills, his hand shaking with anxiety.

She gasped, turning to the black hedgehog. She covered her mouth in shock. Of course! The devotion, the endurance he went through just for her and Bolt, the little gestures he would do for her. How could she not see it? To think, she had always spoke about her love for Sonic right in front of him and he never said a word. But would he really make all this up because he loved her?

Shadow looked down at the ground, not wanting her or anyone else to see his current emotional state. He was solemnly saddened. Heartbroken.

Amy looked at both the men before turning to Shadow and grasping his arm. "Come with me." He lead him out of the garden exit.

"Amy?" Sonic was about to follow them.

"Don't follow us. I need to speak with Shadow." She walked off with Shadow to the garden area.

Sonic looked over at his friends before following the hedgehogs outside. He kept his distance, allowing them their privacy whilst staring intensely to see how Amy reacted.

She lead him to a grand oak tree, away from the onlookers. He was about to explain himself when Amy raised her finger to his lips. "Don't say anything. It's okay." Shadow remained silent, waiting for her to talk. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"This isn't your problem." He reassured her. He was once again made silent by her hand touching his cheek. He looked into her glistening jade eyes, glazed with tears.

"I love you." She swallowed hard as the tears fell down her cheeks. "I do. And I'm sorry it's not in the same way. But one day, you'll find someone who is as sweet, caring and devoted to you as you were to me."

His hand held onto her arm. "You're not going back to him, are you?"

She sobbed, smiling through her tears. "I hate that I'm devoted to him. My heart has always been his..."

"He doesn't deserve you."

"I know. Believe me, I know. But I don't deserve you." She pulled him into a hug, holding him tightly. "I'm so sorry." She sobbed quietly against him.

He held her tightly, his heart clenching with his held back emotions ready to come out. He never wanted to let her go. Though he knew she wasn't his to hold. Reluctantly, he pulled away, exposing the single tear that fell down his cheek.

Amy stroked his cheek one more time before holding his hand and smiling at him. "You're Bolt's Godfather and my dearest friend. Please don't forget that."

He nodded at her. Gradually he moved away from her, their hands being the last contact between them. He walked away into the shadows, out of her sight.

The pink hedgehog took a moment to compose herself, wiping away her tears and regulating her breathing. She turned around, seeing Sonic watching, waiting for her. She breathed heavily, walking towards him.

"Amy..." Sonic tried to get her to listen to him but she walked passed him. He grabbed her hand. "Amy please..."

"I don't want to hear it, Sonic."

"What did he tell you? Don't believe him!" Sonic attempted to get her on his side. The girl pulled her hand away and turned on her heel towards him.

"He didn't tell me anything. I let him down gently." For a moment, he was relieved. He was about to give her a hug when she held her hand up in front of her, stopping him from getting any closer. "I believe him. That you lied and manipulated me to get close to Bolt."

Sonic stuttered, surprised by her verdict. "W-what? But you said--"

"He was in love with me and he still allowed me to go back to you. Because he knew that I loved you. Anyone who is willing to sacrifice their happiness for the person they love is truly selfless. Like I said to Shadow, he deserves better than me... But you? You don't deserve me at all!"

"N-no. Ames, hear me out alright?"

"No! From the moment you got back, I told you that you could be a dad to Bolt. That we could work something out and you didn't have to be with me. You agreed to be my partner as well as a dad. Why? Why would you lie to me when I already agreed to give you what you wanted?!"

Sonic sighed, realising his plan had been completely exposed. "Because you and Shadow were so close and I didn't want him to be Bolt's number one dad... But it became more than that! I fell in love with you, Ames." He took her hand in his once more. "I even got you this." He pulled out the engagement ring from his back quills and opened the box. "I want this. I want you. Please don't throw all this away."

Her eyes were fixated on the ring. It was beautiful. It was everything she wanted and yet, it was wrong. She shook her head, pushing the ring back towards him. "No. Not now. Not after all the lies."

He dropped to one knee, his hand clinging onto hers. "Ames. Please... Don't do this, not now. I love you. I really, really love you. We can forget about all this."

Fresh tears fell down her face as she pulled away from the blue hedgehog. "We can't just forget. You hurt me. You used me and made me believe what we had was genuine. You made me push away the only person who was there for me! I can't forget that!"

"Ames..."

The pink hedgehog walked passed the blue hedgehog, heading back in to get her son. "Don't bother coming home." Her tone was cold, piercing him. She grabbed her son and walked away from Sonic.

"Amy wait! Please!" He tried to follow her but was stopped by Tails blocking him.

"I'm sorry Sonic. Just give her space." He tried to reassure his best friend.

Sonic watched as his family walked away from him. His worse nightmare had finally caught up to him. He'd lost them. "I'm sorry..." He mumbled out, a single tear fell down his cheek. He clenched the box tightly in his hand, feeling his dreams of the perfect family slip away.


	8. Revelations

Warning: Minor birth scene ahead.

* * *

Chapter Eight: Revelations

Lost. That was the best way to describe how the blue hedgehog felt. He had the world in his hands. A loving partner, an adorable child and the love of the people. Now? His now ex girlfriend didn't want to see him and the love of the people had been shifted to scandalous gossip.

He knew he deserved it of course. Looking back on everything he had done, he felt disgusted with himself. Amy and Shadow were right. He didn't deserve such a devoted woman at his side. Had he just agreed to Amy's original proposition of being a co-parent, Amy would have been happy whilst he still get to see his son.

At the same time, had he not created this plan, he probably wouldn't have fallen for her at all. His foolishness got him to realise how much he really cared for her.

Too bad his realisation only came in the midst of lies and betrayal that ultimately came back to bite him.

God he missed her. How he'd wake up beside her and pull her into a cuddle momentarily before Bolt would scream at them to get their butts into gear. The little signs of affection she'd give him throughout their day. How she'd get so happy to see Bolt do the smallest things.

It was the longest month of his life. Even the war hadn't been this torturous. Bolt was the only thing keeping him sane. He appreciated the time he got with his son. Despite their break up, Amy insisted that Sonic would still see his son. She would take Bolt to Vanilla's house. From there, Sonic would take his son for the day and return him back to Vanilla's by 4:00pm. It wasn't exactly what he hoped for but he was grateful nonetheless.

The hedgehog sighed, bringing himself to roll out of his former bed in the workshop. He made his way downstairs to the workshop, hoping to kill some boredom with his buddy. "Tails?" He called out. He received no response. "Tails?"

"Ssh!" The fox appeared from behind his plane. He adorned a baby carrier with a sleeping Bolt inside it. Strange, Amy hadn't asked him to babysit.

Sonic rushed over to see his son. He brushed the baby's growing quills gently with his fingers. "I didn't know you were having Bolt today."

"I wasn't planning to either but Cream's been telling me how Amy's struggling to do everything now that you and Shadow aren't as hands on as before. I felt bad for her so I thought I'd take him off her hands so she can sleep. Apparently he's going through this phase where he keeps waking up and is hard to get him back to sleep. I see what she means." Tails rubbed his head. Putting Bolt to sleep had been a lot harder than he anticipated.

A pang of guilt hit him once again. If it wasn't for his meddling, Amy would be getting all the help she needed. Where was Shadow anyway? Didn't he say he would always be there for her? "Where's Shadow been?"

Tails shrugged. "He's been to see Amy a few times apparently but he's mostly been doing his own thing."

He almost felt sorry for Shadow. Almost. Despite loathing that faker, he knew he had gone too far with his revelling. Marking Amy was for his selfish rivalry, his smug attitude towards him during the fight. He was a class A jerk.

He had to find him. He had to apologise for his actions. And if Amy no longer wanted him, maybe she and Shadow were better for each other? At least she would get some extra help too. It was like she said, if you really love someone, you'll let them go if it makes them happy. "Do you know where I can find him?"

The fox seemed rather surprised by the question. The pair hated one another. Why was he looking for Shadow for? Regardless of his curiosity, the fox typed in the code for Shadow's communicator and tracked him on his computer. "He seems to be pretty close from here. Close to the Mystic Ruins. I'll send you the data to track him yourself." He tapped away at his computer.

Sonic's communicator flashed, letting him know the data had been sent. "Great!" He stroked Bolts head a final time before making his leave. "Catch you later bud." He dashed out of the workshop and went in search of Shadow.

The fox scratched his head. "I hope I haven't started something..."

* * *

The overgrown jungle engulfed the area. Slipping through the heavy vines and dense trees, Sonic looked at his communicator to find Shadow. He appeared to be close by in the midst of all this abandoned, disproportionately. overgrown ruin. It was probably poetic in a way. A metaphor to Shadow himself.

He reached the end of the long trail towards an opening within the thick vines. Shadow was just ahead. "Here goes nothing..." Walking out into the opening, he was surprised to see the the beautiful scenery beyond the cliff side. He could see Tails' workshop from his position. Looking to the side, he could see Shadow sat on a boulder, overlooking the view.

Just as Sonic was about to make his presence known, Shadow spoke before him. "Why are you here? What do you want?"

Sonic was rather taken back. Shadow hadn't even looked his way. "Uh, how have you been?" The hedgehog awkwardly asked.

Shadow turned to the blue hedgehog and raised his eyebrow. "How did you even find me?" He noticed Sonic point to his communicator. The ultimate lifeform looked at his own communicator and rolled his eyes. Why was he still wearing this device?

"Look, I came to apologise alright? For everything." Shadow crossed his arms and waited for the apology. "I'm sorry for what I did to you--"

"Now you've apologised, you can leave me alone."

Well, he did deserve and expect that. Why would Shadow want to hear him out? He was a complete jerk to him after all. Still, he didn't want to leave without Shadow knowing that he truly meant his apology. "It's like you said, I don't deserve Amy. In fact, I've never deserved her. She's always been loyal to me and I've done nothing but abused that loyalty. She deserves so much more than me. She deserves someone as committed as you were..." Ugh, he hated hearing his own words. As true as they were, he really hated the thought of her being with someone else.

But if it made her happy, he was willing to accept her being with anyone. Almost Willing.

He listened to Sonic's words intensely, searching for the fabrication within them. To him, Sonic was egotistical, verging on self absorbed at times. Hearing him admit his faults and flaws was an unexpected twist in his character. Perhaps he was being genuine. "I have had time to consider my emotions." He had been contemplating his emotions towards Amy for a month. Ever since that night. The pain. Oh that pain burnt too much to put into words. But that wasn't unfamiliar to him. That pain he had almost forgotten about. "I don't think what I felt was what they call love... I-- I believe it was obsession."

"Obsession?" Sonic raised his eyebrow.

Shadow nodded. "She made me... feel. These things, these... emotions. I haven't been able to feel ever since..." He became silent. Thoughts of his long deceased friend came to his mind. He closed his eyes, blocking out the grief that was arising within him. "When I was around her, I felt... Alive."

Sonic said nothing, allowing Shadow to continue.

"She was this walking, breathing embodiment of what it means to be alive. All these complex emotions existed in one person. She was vulnerable and yet powerful, hopeful and yet lost. A complicated vessel." He looked up at the sky, losing himself to the memories of Amy. "The night she revealed her pregnancy was the awakening to this obsession."

_Heavy boots stomped against the sodden, muddy ground as she ran along the path. Her breathing was irregular as she panted frequently. The rain pelted her, making her clothes cling to her body. It was dark, wet. The fitting weather to her turmoil. She kept going. Even as her feet begged her to stop, her legs shook from the pressure and her growing bump tightened under her excessiveness._

_She had just found out about Sonic's loss of communication. Her friends believed he was gone. She didn't believe that. He had to be alive. He couldn't leave her. Not now. Not with a baby._

_A lightning strike blinded her, causing her to fall to the ground. She grunted on impact, holding her bump as she sat up. Tears automatically fell from her eyes as she sobbed loudly into the air. She screamed at the sky out of agony and frustration aimed at her friends. Sonic was possibly gone. She was alone._

_Well not entirely._

_"Why?!" She screamed up at the sky. Of all people. Why did you have to go?! You idiot, Sonic! You stupid fool!" She held her tighten bump. "Don't leave us... Not now..." She cried._

"I found her in the middle of a rainstorm. Word had gotten out about your disappearance. As you may have guessed, she didn't take it well." Shadow explained. Sonic wasn't too surprised about that.

_Too grieve stricken to realise her surroundings, she failed to notice Shadow approaching her in the dark. He had noticed her running a few yards back. Why had he bothered to follow her? He wasn't sure. Seeing her out in a rainstorm, crying was probably his motivation. "What are you doing out here?" The black hedgehog questioned the pink girl._

_Amy turned to see Shadow behind her. She didn't expect anyone to hear so far from the city. She looked back down at her bump, realising just how irrational she appeared. She was four months pregnant, she rushed out in the middle of the night, in a rainstorm no less and ran as far as her legs could take her. Who knew how far from home she was?_

_She couldn't bring herself to say anything. Instead, she tried to get back on her feet. The pressure from her bump plus her tired legs caused her to collapse again. Shadow caught her before she could hit the ground again. Feeling completely helpless, she sobbed against the black hedgehog. At this point, she didn't care how she looked. Her everything was gone. Even with a baby on the way, her life felt meaningless. "He's gone... Sonic's gone! He's left me on my own! I don't know what to do. He was my life. My everything. I can't do this. I can't do this without him!"_

_Shadow didn't say anything. He was partially clueless and rather uncertain with what to do with her. He examined her briefly to check for injuries. Nothing he could see out of ordinary._

_He watched as her hands fell against her stomach, her damp clothes revealed her bump. Although rather small, it was visible. His eyes widened. That was why she was so distraught. Sonic hadn't just left her on her own. He had left her with his baby._

_She was looking down at her stomach. What was she thinking? Yes, Sonic may have been gone but she had a baby, his baby, to think about. Even if Sonic was gone, his child would still live on. Maybe that was his gift to her. A forever binding connection between them, in flesh and blood. "I'm so sorry." She said, as though she was speaking to her child. She needed to check that the baby was okay. She fell pretty hard against her stomach. Hopefully the child was well cushioned enough inside her. looked up at Shadow, he being her only help. "Shadow. Please... You have to help me. I-I fell on my side and hit my stomach... I'm pregnant."_

_No words needed to be said. He lifted her into his arms. Carefully he got up from the ground. "Chaos control."_

"I took her to the hospital. She insisted that I stay with her. Even though I didn't know what to do, I just sat there with her during the whole ordeal. Bolt was fine. Got to see him on the scan. Don't think I'd ever seen her so happy before..."

_Amy attempted to breathe slowly as she laid back on the hospital bed. Her stomach was exposed, awaiting for the sonographer to place the gel on her. She turned to the male hedgehog who remained silent, he stood against wall, near to the door. It was awkward to say the least. She and Shadow had rarely spoken in the past. He was Sonic's rival after all. His rival was her rival. Though so far, she was failing to see why Sonic didn't get along with him. Sure, he wasn't much of a talker but he had helped her get here in no time and even listened when she asked him to stay. He was a saint more than anything right now._

_Shadow was still silent. His plan was to stay with her until she knew if her baby was okay. That damn hedgehog. How could he be so careless and get her pregnant, knowing he was going to war? Typical of Sonic to be so irrational in his actions. Now Amy was left to face the consequences on her own. He didn't even blame her. The poor girl was nothing more than a naive servant to the blue hedgehog. Apparently, she was a sex slave too. Naive enough to allow that faker to impregnate her right before he left._

_He looked at her, realising she was staring at him. She turned away, looking around the room, playing off the whole getting caught thing. She was still nervous about the whole scan. How she continued to breathe deeply, trying to calm herself. Her hand seemed to be shaking. Guess that was a fair response. That was her child she was worrying about._

_"Thank you for helping me, Shadow. I don't know where I'd be if you hadn't saved me." She smiled at_ him.

_He nodded back at her. Perhaps some conversation would help her keep her nerves down. "I'm sure your child is fine."_

_The minor reassurance seemed to be enough for her. She smiled brightly and rubbed her growing abdomen. "They'll be strong. Just like their dad." Her eyes began to tear up. "At least Sonic will live on in his child."_

_Again, he nodded. At least she was happy with having something to remember Sonic by._

_"Hello." The sonographer came in and started up the ultrasound machine. "Amy Rose is it?" Amy nodded at the female doctor. She gave her some reassurance before proceeding with the ultrasound._

_"Shadow." Amy called to the male nervously. She held out her shaking hand, wanting him to grab it. He was a caught off guard for the moment. It wasn't like she and him were at the friendship level just yet. Still, she needed support. The last thing she needed right now was to be alone, finding out some unwanted news about the baby. He took a seat next to her and held her shaking hand._

_The picture appeared on the screen. The black and white image displayed the baby moving it's arms and attempting to turn around. "You have a very energetic baby in there. I think I'm disturbing him." The woman made light conversation._

_"Oh Shadow look! The baby's okay." She broke into tears once again. "Mummy's little angel."_

_There were no words for Shadow to say. He was in awe by the image of the baby on the screen. He had never seen anything like that before. Was this how everyone appeared before they were born? Unlike him? An unfamiliar sensation overwhelmed him. What was this feeling? It was warming... Wholesome... He felt... Happy. Happy for her? Happy that this child was okay? Who knew? This sensation was euphoric and immediately addictive. Ah yes, happiness. That long forgotten feeling that had been replaced with a black void ever since he lost Maria._

_The ultrasound ended. Wiping Amy's stomach, the nurse smiled at the couple. "Congratulations to you both. You have a wonderful little baby in there. Completely happy."_

_Together? He looked at the pink hedgehog. Her cheeks matching her fur. She looked at him and giggled nervously. He said nothing either. It wasn't so bad, having a vessel of happiness._

"Time went on. I was around her everyday. It was like I was feeding off of her energy. Seeing her laugh, cry, everywhere between... She made me feel like I had a new purpose. The void I felt was a bitter memory and I could finally live with meaning. It wasn't until the birth that I knew I never wanted it to end."

_After the long week of waiting, Amy woke up to the excruciating pain radiating through her abdomen and her back. She alerted Shadow and headed to the Emerald Coast Hospital. For hours, she walked around, breathed in the gas and air, panted and waited... and waited... and waited._

_After nine hours of labour, her moment finally came. "Alright miss Rose, 10cm. You're ready to go."_

_Shadow watched as the girl stood by the hospital bed, breathing in the gas they gave her. At first, she had refused medication. That this would be her only child if Sonic was truly gone, therefore she wanted to remember every second. Though as time went on, he was sure she was wanting to change her opinion. Her fur had darkened by her own sweat, her body shook violently with adrenaline rushing through her, the pain became more intolerable, so much so, it caused her to puke._

_He felt so helpless. As the contractions got closer and stronger, the girl groaned, wailed, grunted and screamed. All the while, he couldn't do anything but at least try to comfort her. No amount of birth classes prepared him for seeing someone endure so much._

_She clinged to him. Her hands gripping his arms for dear life. She was looking up at him, fear dancing in her eyes. It was like she was begging him for strength. Maybe even wanting him to just take over. "I... Need... Drugs."_

_The midwife guided her back to the side of the bed. Amy gripped onto the bedsheets and panted frequently. "Sorry dear. A little late for that but you're so close to the end. When that urge to push comes back, I want you to push as hard you can. Okay sweetie?" She turned to Shadow. "Come along dear, give her a back rub."_

_He did as he was told, rubbing her back gently as the girl panted heavily. She grunted through the contraction, pushing with all her might. "Lovely dear, lovely. Keep going." She followed the instructions given to her, continuing to breathe as much gas and air as she could. She took too much in, nearly collapsing from dizziness. "Not too much hun. We need you awake and alert."_

_She whimpered. "How... much... longer?"_

_"Just a little more dear."_

_The burning sensation woke her up immediately. She screamed. "AAAAH! I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!"_

_Shadow grimaced at her screams. "How much longer does she have?" He questioned the midwife._

_"Baby's emerging dear. All very normal. It's head is coming out."_

_Another contraction forced her push. She bit her lip, holding back her screams and endured the pain. She panting as it finished. "I c-- I can't..."_

_"Sorry dear but you're almost there." She monitored the baby's heart rate. Her silence caught Shadow's attention. Why did she look so serious? "Amy dear. You need to push even harder now."_

_"Wha-? But I--"_

_"Baby a little distressed and his heart rate is dropping. We need a little more power from you, alright?" Hearing that her child was in distress seemed to motivate her. She pushed and panted, pushed and panted. "Beautiful. Well done."_

"I've battled constant enemies. All stronger than the next. But I don't think I saw strength quite like that before..."

_"That's it, that's it..." With a final grunt, Amy successfully birthed her baby. "You did it, Amy."_

_The cries of the baby soon followed. Her knees began to wobble as she tried to stand up again. Shadow quickly helped her onto the bed. He was speechless. Overwhelmed by the whole ordeal and in amazement with the young woman. She sat on the bed and eventually took her baby from the midwife who had cleaned the baby up. "Congratulations. It's a boy."_

_He stared at the baby. Blue. Just like his father. It wailed in her arms, shortly calming down. Wow, so this was birth. The first moments of new life. It was truly a sight to see._

_How was she? He looked up at Amy to see her smiling down at the newborn. She appeared to have forgotten the pain she was just in. "Hey you, my little prince. __It's me, your mummy. We're going to have the best time, you and me... And your godfather."_

_He looked towards her, surprised by the title. This was his godson? His rival's child was his godson?_

_"That's... If you want to be?" Amy asked him. With Sonic gone, this boy would need a father figure. Someone to look out for him and teach him the ways of life. Why not him? Perhaps this was his calling, to have a family. He nodded at her before looking back down at the baby._

_"Amy. We'll have to deliver the after birth. Would you mind letting your partner take little one?"_

_"Oh we're not--"_

_"We're not... together." Shadow finished her statement. Both looked bashful at the awkward situation._

_The midwife smiled. "Well regardless, Mr here can hold baby while we sort you out." She gently took the baby out of Amy's hands and passed him to Shadow._

_Wow. He was once again speechless. He stared at the sleeping child in awe. The sensation of pride filling him as he held him. Yes, this was his family. His precious godson. Tears fell down his cheeks as everything that had happened that day began to overwhelm him. He had a family. He was fulfilled._

_"Bolt, Shadow, The Hedgehog." He heard her say the newborn's name. Wait, Shadow? He turned to her again, once again, speechless. For the first time in long while, he smiled._

After hearing Shadow's point of view, Sonic looked away, refusing to look at him. Now he just looked even more shitty. His rival spoke about how Amy and Bolt gave him meaning, a sense of purpose and made him feel like his life meant something. He had destroyed all that and made much effort to make Shadow feel completely irrelevant.

But even if he was back now, his purpose didn't have to end. Even if Bolt was his son, he could still have a godfather. Heck, what with him stepping down from being Amy's partner, maybe he could be her lover?

Eugh. He hated that idea. "You may not know yourself but that does sound like love to me." Shadow turned to him slightly. "I mean, she made you happy so you made an effort to make her happy. Bolt was an added bonus to that happiness. You could still be happy... If you want to?"

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why would you give her up after all the trouble you went through to keep her and Bolt away from me?"

A fair question. "What I did to her and even you, was unforgivable. I know what I have done and I know what I have to do to make her happy. I have to let her go..."

Shadow turned to the blue hedgehog. "Don't."

"What? But you--"

"I had my happiness stripped away from me once. It left me with this... void. This darkness. You don't want to end like me. An empty vessel. Win back her trust and be the family you were meant to be."

Sonic tapped his rival's shoulder admirably. "You may think you're an empty vessel but you're more emotional than you think." Shadow glared at him, his eyes looking at the hand on his shoulder before looking back at the blue hedgehog again. "I don't know what to say, man. Thank you. Seriously. Thank you." Shadow nodded to him. "You'll still be Bolt's family... Which kinda makes you my family in a way."

"Dont push it, hedgehog."

"Man, for a moment there, I thought we were really bonding." He gave his rival a smirk. "But seriously, don't make yourself a stranger. I can tolerate you around us."

Shadow returned the smirk. "We'll see about that."

The hedgehogs high fived one another as part of a civil truce. With a wave, Sonic dashed off through the opening he had came from and raced back to the workshop to come up with the ideal plan to get Amy back.

Shadow looked towards the sky once more, allowing a single tear to fall down his cheek.

* * *

**AN: Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for taking time out of your day to read my story. I really appreciate it :)**


	9. Again From the Top

Chapter Nine: Again. From the Top

"You got this, Sonic. You are the man. You are the hedgehog. The speed king himself." The blue hedgehog learnt over the bathroom basin and spoke to himself in the mirror. Nerves jittered inside him, causing his fingers to tap against the sink. Today he planned on taking Amy on the best date of her life! Well... Hopefully anyway. This was their first date and all. Therefore this technically was going to be the best date of her life.

Ugh, that was so messed up. His devoted friend and admirer that he had already slept with and impregnated was about to be taken on her very first date.

No wonder she was currently his ex.

"Uh..." Tails' voice startled the blue hedgehog. He turned to the fox who was confused yet amused. "Did I just hear you giving yourself a motivational talk?"

Sonic blushed. "What? Me? No, not at all. You're clearly mistaking me for the other blue hedgehog who happens to live here."

"Riiight. Well, anyway... Where are you going? You've sprayed enough cologne to drown a rat."

Sonic turned back to his reflection. "I'm going on a date."

"Really? With who?" He was rather surprised at himself for asking such an obvious question. Even Sonic turned back to him with a frown. "That was a dumb question. How did you get her to agree on going out with you?"

"I wrote her a note."

"And she replied?"

_Amy was taking out the recycling when she spotted the the note on her doormat. She bent down to grab the note and read it aloud to herself._

_Hey Ames,_

_Fancy reliving the glory days? Meet me outside Twinkle Park tomorrow at 6:30pm._

_Love Sonic x_

_Rolling her eyes, the pink girl scrunched up the piece of paper and threw it out with her recycling._

"No but I doubt Amy's gonna turn down a date with me."

"You're right." Tails nodded. "After all, you're the man." He chuckled to himself as he walked down the hall to the workshop.

Sonic growled under his breath at his fox friend before looking at himself in the mirror again. "Ignore him. He's just jealous of your good looks. You handsome hedgehog, you."

"I can still hear you!"

"Shut up Tails!"

* * *

Amy sat at her dressing table, putting extra effort into her appearance. With Bolt being away with Vanilla, she was finally able to focus on looking her best. She applied her pink lipgloss to her lips, pressing her lips together to cover her feminine lips. She sat back for a moment, admiring her efforts. Elongated lashes, light blusher for a natural blush effect and shining lipgloss. Yes, she was rather pleased with herself.

Next, she divided her long quills and placed them into two low pigtails for a more youthful appearance. It made a change from throwing them into a high ponytail, away from Bolt's mischievous hands. With the boy realising his arms could reach for things, he had been making it his mission to rip her quills out. He hadn't quite mastered his motor skills to reach them but within a couple of months, no doubt he'd be yanking her hair out. She was gonna have to lose the quills. Go back to her short hairstyle.

Getting up from the dressing table, Amy looked at her outfit in the mirror attached to her wardrobe. She chose a red summer dress. Another cute option but with a deep v neck for added maturity. She twirled around in the dress, checking herself out. Yep, despite still needing to lose another fifteen pounds of the baby weight before she reached her original size, she still looked great.

Ugh. Even if it was nice to have some time to herself to make herself feel and look a little more alive, she hated herself for putting so much effort into herself for Sonic. After everything he had done, she was still wanting him. A whole month of telling herself how she was better off without a lying, deceitful, using hedgehog didn't seem to help her get over him. Her love for him was still just as strong as ever.

Which I why she had taken his note that she had thrown out back into the house and made exceptional effort to look gorgeous for him.

Ugh. She felt pathetic. She should be hating him for what he did to her and to Shadow. Wanting nothing more than to make him live with the consequences of losing her. Yet, here she was, making herself all dolled up for him like a booty call.

A month. She lasted a month. A new record for her. Sonic had attempted many times in that month to apologise to her. Sent her gifts, called, messaged, tried to get her to talk face to face and every time, she ignored him. That was pretty impressive. Usually, she would forgive him on the first attempt of apology. Maybe she was being too hard on herself.

He was like a drug. She put herself through rehab and now she was on a relapse.

Maybe indulging in the blue substance wouldn't be so bad either. She blushed at the thought. She looked down at the communicator on her wrist for the time. "Hm, 5:59pm. I better get going." She grabbed her bag and slipped on her shoes. She rushed out of her room and made her way out the house to meet the blue hedgehog.

* * *

He stood outside Twinkle Park waiting for his date. Passersby would smile at him, whispering amongst themselves that the famous hero happened to be at the amusement park. He smiled meekly at them, feeling disappointed that Amy still hadn't shown up yet. He looked down at his communicator. 6:23pm. Eh, he was a little early. Maybe she was on her way.

Or maybe she wasn't coming at all... Maybe she had gotten hurt on the way!

He shook his head. No, she was probably on her way. He hoped.

Why was he so nervous? This was Amy for Chaos sake. The same girl who had chased him for years, begged him to marry her. Heck, they have a son together.

Ah wait, he was chasing her. Is this what it felt like? To have uncertainty on whether someone you love feels the same? If your efforts to be with said person are actually working on them? Geez, no wonder Amy wanted his affection so much in the past. The suspense was lethal.

A glimmer of pink caught the corner of his eye. He turned to his right to see the girl walking towards him. Holy Chaos. He felt himself falling into a state of infatuation. His heart rate increased, his pupils dilating, he felt a rush within him at the sight of her. She looked dazzling. "Pull yourself together." He muttered to himself.

She approached him, not looking overly pleased to see him. "Sonic..." She greeted him.

"Hey Ames..." Her greeting knocked his confidence. This was their first meeting since the whole ordeal. It was understandable why she was distant towards him. It didn't help his nerves though. He scratched the back of his head. "Uh, so. You wanna go in? You know the motto to this place. Cute couples get in free."

She looked him up and down before walking passed him. "Well I hope you brought your money with you because we are not a couple." She walked passed him into the amusement park.

Ouch. That was a burn and a half... He partially expected her to be off with him anyway. If he was going to win her back, he was going to have to take her attitude until he could get her to loosen up. He walked in after her, watching as her hips swayed as she walked.

She was smirking. Her attempts of playing hard to get were in motion. Even though she felt guilty for being so rude to him, she told herself he deserved a little bitterness after everything. Now that she had started playing hard to get, where was she meant to draw line and reveal her real feelings for him again?

He was at her side again, still looking rather nervous. Poor thing. Maybe she was a little too harsh. "Where do you want to go first?"

Hmm, that was a good question. Did she torture him by taking him on the log flume? Maybe have a proper sit down and talk about what happened over a drink? Have him take a trip to the emasculating tunnel of love that he always avoided whenever she managed to drag him to the park in the past? Screw it, she wanted to see him suffer. "We can always go on the log flume?"

His face revealed his thoughts. Terror, panic and a whole load of nope. "Uh, you sure about that?" He mentally begged for her to be joking. She knew how much he hated that ride. What was so entertaining about being soaked on a ride?

She gave him a big smile in return. "Oh yes. I really want to go on it. Please?" She batted her long eyelashes.

As much as he wanted to refuse, he couldn't let her down. This was his apology to her, he was just gonna have to suck it up. It was only going to be like ten minutes... The longest, most stressful ten minutes of his life. "Alright then, what are we waiting for?" She nodded at him, leading the way to the log flume. He heart threatened to burst with anxiety as they got closer and closer to the ride.

They stood in line, watching the people already enjoying themselves on the contraption. Sonic grimaced as their screams filled the air whilst the log went through the water. He was definitely going to be screaming too.

"Are you excited?" Amy asked, looking up at him. She very well knew the answer. Her question was rather cruel at this point.

Sonic faked a smile. "Totally. Never been more excited than I am right now." He nervously chuckled, watching as another set of riders screamed on the ride. He gulped. "Yeah. Excited."

Now she just felt guilty. It was clear that he was terrified and was just putting on a front to keep her happy. Oh, no matter how much he may have deserved some payback for his lies, he didn't deserve to be made anxious for her amusement. He took her here to have a good time so that was what they should have been doing.

"Alright folks! Take your seats!" A man called out to the crowd. It was time for new riders to go on the log flume. The people made their way onto the log flume until it was their turn to get on. Amy stood where she was, second guessing herself. "Come along. There are more seats to take up!" The man encouraged her and Sonic to get on.

"Ames?" Sonic looked down at the girl questionably.

"Uh maybe not." She apologised to the man and took Sonic's hand. She lead him away from the ride and turned to face him. "You were really gonna go on there?"

"Uh, yeah. You said you wanted to go on it."

"But you hate that ride."

"True. But if it makes you happy, I'm sure I can sacrifice ten minutes."

Oh. She could feel her heart flutter. He was so sweet-- No. She couldn't let him win so easily... Oh Chaos, who cares? After all those months she begged him to come home safely, she couldn't let her ego push him away now. She threw her arms around his neck and slammed her lips against his.

He was taken back by her sudden change in mood and sudden affection. Not that he was complaining. A month without her love made him feel malnourished. His daily dose of the pink rose was definitely in arrears. He kissed her back eagerly, tasting her sweet taste that he loved so much. His hands fell onto her hips automatically as he fell into deeper hypnosis. His lips danced with hers in an erotic fever. Had they been in private, Chaos knew what he would do to her.

Oh wait. They were in public. He reluctantly broke the kiss but held her at arms length. "Well that was something."

Amy swooned against him, giggling as she pecked his lips. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." He was about to kiss her again when he noticed a child staring at them. He immediately retracted his arms and kept a safe distance from Amy. The child's mother stood behind her little boy, frowning. "Sorry." The mother pulled her son away. Sonic scratched his head and chuckled. "Kinda got lost in the moment."

Forgetting their little moment of scandal, Amy took Sonic's hand in hers and pulled him towards another unexplored area of Twinkle Park. "Come on, let's go relive the glory days" With a grin, he allowed the girl to lead him to various rides and games around the park.

* * *

Their night was truly bliss. After going on the various rides and participating in the majority of fairground games the park had to offer, the pair decided to get a bite to eat at the Twinkle Park restaurant. They sat at the table, both sipping on lemonade, watching one another and giggling fondly.

Amy placed her toy on the table. Her victory at the test of strength landed her a soft Sonic The Hedgehog teddy. She tapped the toy's head tenderly. "Bolt is going to love this little version of you."

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "I don't know about that. Kinda regret agreeing to having that company make my merchandise. Still, I get royalties with every purchase so I can't complain too much." He chuckled. He sighed contently, watching her from across the table. Only Chaos knew how grateful he was that he had gotten this opportunity to be with her once again. Being with her again felt right after being lost in the abyss of his own loathing and self pity. Though _that_ conversation hadn't been said. Where did they go from here? Was he fully forgiven? Were they back together?

"What?" Amy asked, looking bashful. Had he been staring too long?

Sonic cleared his throat. "I, uh... I've been wanting to say how sorry I am after everything I did."

"I've been wanting to apologise to you too." She blushed. It was true. As cruel as Sonic's actions were, she had realised over the last month away from one another, just how much she had allowed Shadow to take over his role as a father. How she refused to hear his side to any story out of guilt she felt towards Shadow for potentially pushing him away. In reality, she had been pushing Sonic away from being the best dad he could be. That didn't justify Sonic's actions of course, she did understand why he took action though.

"Why are you sorry?"

The girl played with her straw in her drink. "I can see why you did what you did. I was too lenient with Shadow taking over and didn't listen to you when you were trying to tell me how you felt. In the end, I was just pushing you away."

"Ames. This isn't your fault at all. I was the idiot that destroyed your trust and played with your emotions."

"And I was the one who refused to listen to you."

He took her hands in his and stroked her hand with his thumb. "How about we both agree we could have done better. With the blue one of us being a little more stupid than the other?"

Amy giggled. "I can live with that."

He grinned. The sudden wave of bashfulness caused him to blush. "So... What does this mean for us? Are we gonna give this another go?" Her silence left him in suspense. "Because if you are willing to take me back, I'll totally make it up to you. Everyday!" She continued to remain silent, slowly forming a grin on her face. "Or... You don't have to forgive me. Your choice and all..."

"Sonic." She giggled once again. "Didn't that kiss already confirm that?"

Oh right... He really needed to listen to the cues. For a moment, he looked surprised by her comment before smirking back at her. They stared at one another in admiration, heart beats racing at the sight of their lover. Chaos had blessed him with such a forgiving woman and he vowed to himself that he would never hurt her like that again.

"And here we have a chilli dog with a side order of fries. And a classic salad." The waitress stood beside their table with a big smile on her face.

The couple sat back in their chairs and looked at the waitress. "Chilli dog for me, please." The waitress placed the right plates in front of the hedgehogs. "Hope you enjoy." She walked away from the table, leaving the couple to enjoy their meals.

Sonic couldn't help but stare at Amy's salad. It was admirable that she would avoid the temptations on the menu but come on, a salad? "Is that even gonna fill you up?"

"I'm sure it will."

He raised an eyebrow, taking his chilli dog in hand, he moved it close to her. "Want some? I'll even let you have the first bite."

"Such a gentleman. But really, I'm fine. I need to lay off the chilli dogs."

He frowned. "You can **never **have too many chilli dogs!"

Amy giggled. "Says the guy who can burn his calories in less than 10 seconds! The unfortunate, average speed people such as myself need to watch what we eat."

He groaned at her. "Don't tell me you're on some sort of diet. Ames, you look fine. Amazing even."

His words caused her to blush. She looked down at her stomach and tapped it lightly. "I still have another fifteen pounds to shed."

"Ames." He spoke with a semi serious tone, causing the pink hedgehog to look back at him. "You are the most beautiful girl I've ever met. You've just had a baby. Give yourself a break." He moved the chilli dog towards her again. "You know you want to."

"Sonic..."

"Go on..." He smirked, moving the chilli dog even closer to her. She didn't need much more persuading. She took a bite from his chilli dog and sat back happily. "Ah ha! I knew you wanted some. I know you can't resist a bit of--"

She swallowed hard, nearly choking on the food. She took a sip of her lemonade to wash the food down. "Don't even think about saying what you were gonna say." She blushed deeply.

"What?" He smirked. "Chilli dog?"

"We both know that's not what you were talking about."

He exaggerated his offense. "Do you think I'd be so distasteful to make such a joke?" She nodded at him. "Head in the gutter much? Seems to me like you've missed me in more ways than one." He smirked mischievously, leaning over the table. "Been missing the big blue?"

She covered her face, muffling her laugh and hiding her burning cheeks. "You're so bad!"

"You love me for it." He sat back in his chair and gulped down his chilli dog. He grabbed a handful of his fries and dumped them on top of her salad. "Here. Something to keep you going."

She rolled her eyes at him. "So much for my diet."

"Eh, a few fries won't make a difference. Neither will the triple scoop ice cream to go."

"No."

"Yes."

"No..."

"Yes!"

Her argument was the losing bet. After their meals, Sonic had ordered two, triple scoop ice creams to go. For himself, double chocolate fudge and vanilla, with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and chocolate sprinkles. For her, bubblegum, vanilla and cookies and cream. Despite her protests, he added whipped cream, bubblegum sauce and blueberries on top. They walked around Twinkle Park, eating their sweet treats as they walked.

Amy watched as he ate his chocolate overloaded ice cream. He noticed her stares and moved his ice cream close to her. "Wanna lick it?"

"How are you not feeling sick from that? It's like chocolate upon chocolate."

"Great isn't it? You can never have too much chocolate."

"You seem to think you can't have too much of anything."

"Exactly. Some things you just can't get enough of" He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I can't get enough of you for example." Her cheeks were burning once again, counteracting the coldness of the ice cream that she had eaten. "Maybe once I'm done licking this ice cream, I can move on to you?"

"Sonic!"

He laughed at her flustered appearance. "Alright, I'll stop. For now. How's your ice cream?"

"Huge. I don't think I can handle all of it." He laughed even harder. Realising her accidental use of words sounding like an innuendo, she gave him a frown. "_Anyway._ I don't think I can finish it all."

"Want me to help you?" He pulled her ice cream close to him and took a big mouthful off the top of her ice cream. He gulped the ice cream down.

She stared at him, dumbfounded. "You never cease to amaze me, Sonic the hedgehog."

"I know. I amaze myself." He licked his ice cream before offering her some of his own again. She shook her head.

"Thanks but I think I've had enough unhealthy snacks."

"Nah. You're good. Yours had blueberries on it. That makes it healthy." He continued to pester her with the ice cream. "Come on Ames. You know you want some."

"Stop it." She giggled, moving away from him.

"Not until you have some." He pestered her more. In the midst of his teasing, he accidentally tripped on air and splattered the ice cream onto her chest. She gasped loudly as the freezing ice cream hit her chest and dress. He could only gawp at her for a moment, processing what had happened. "Oh geez, I'm sorry!" He didn't have time to check if she was okay as Amy forced her ice cream into his mouth. "Hey!" He wiped his mouth harshly.

"Take that, hedgehog!" She laughed. She screamed as the blue hedgehog began to chase after her. She ran across the amusement park to get away from him. She hid behind a closed fairground game stand and looked around the corner for the hedgehog. Unbeknownst to her, Sonic was already stood next to her. She turned back towards him and gasped loudly. She squealed, attempting to get away from him but was of course too slow. He grabbed her and lifted her off the ground. "Put me down!" She laughed.

"Nah." He spun her around to face him. "You thought you could outrun me? Aw, that's so cute." He teased her.

"Don't underestimate me, Sonic. I could so outrun you."

"Pfft. Seriously?"

"Well Ia caught you, didn't I?"

"Touché." He smiled at her as he brought her closer to him. He kissed her amorously, tasting the bubblegum flavouring on her tongue. He felt her hands on his face and her legs wrapped around him. She moaned softly into the kiss, deepening the kiss in the process.

"Excuse me!" A walrus called over to the couple. The pair immediately broke their kiss and turned towards her. It was the same woman from earlier, frowning next to her shocked son. "This amusement park is a family friendly attraction. Please could you not do that in front of the children?!"

The child who had been watching them earlier that evening stood next to his mother, gawping at them. Sonic immediately put Amy on the ground again. "Sorry!"

"Yeah, sorry about that..." Amy apologised along with Sonic, both equally embarrassed.

The woman walked away, dragging her kid along with her like she had done earlier that evening. The hedgehogs looked at one another shamefully. "She's right. We probably shouldn't be messing around like that in here. Why don't we go somewhere else?" She gave him a suggestive look. "Not to fool around, necessarily. The night's still young. We can do other things."

Amy looked puzzled, tapping her cheek for an idea. She looked up at the sky and thought of an idea. "We could star gaze?"

"My kinda thing. Good thinking." He looked down at her chest that was still partially covered in ice cream. "Might wanna clean up first." He leant down to whisper in her ear. "Unless you want me to help you clean it off."

"Tempting. But we better not draw anymore attention to ourselves." She went to clean herself in the public restroom before meeting him outside. "Let's go."

He picked her up and raced out of the park. He made his way outside the city and sat in an open field, just below a giant oak tree. He placed the girl on her feet and lead down underneath the tree, gazing up at the starlit sky. "What a view."

Amy took a seat beside him, also looking at the sky. "Isn't it beautiful? This reminds me of when we were teenagers. How we used to just sit under trees and stare at the wonderful, endless sky..." She sighed. "It was so romantic."

"What about now? Isn't it still romantic?" He asked, leaning on his elbows to look at her.

"It's more romantic now. Now that I've finally caught the wind." She grinned at him.

"Yeah. Like rose petals in the wind." He scoffed playfully at her.

"Exactly!" She failed to detect his sarcasm. "Oh Sonic. You're such a romantic!" She gushed.

He smiled at her. After officially getting back together, he wondered if it was the right time to propose? Was there some kind of unspoken rule about the perfect time to propose? If he wanted to make her his, for the right reasons this time, surely he could do it now? "Uh, Ames?" She turned to him, smiling contently at him. He suddenly felt those same nerves from earlier that day. "I, um... I wanted to ask you something..."

"Yes?"

He inhaled and let out a shaky breath. "This whole year has been pretty life changing for both of us. I don't know about you but I think it's been a blast. You know, despite the whole war thing and leaving whilst pregnant and you know, my dumb attempt to keep you and Bolt..." He repeated his breathing, trying to keep his nerves down. "What I'm trying to say is..." He looked into her eyes. They danced with curiosity and admiration for him. "Man I'm not good at this..." He chuckled. Amy giggled along with him. She rested her hand on his, reassuring him enough to continue. "I love you. I never thought it would happen but it has. I've fallen for you. I may have gotten this all a little messed up with making Bolt before realising that but I want to spend the rest of my life loving you the right way. So..." He pulled out a small black box from his back quills.

Amy gasped, covering her mouth. "Sonic..."

"Damnit." He blushed. "That's Shadow's ring. I really need to sort out my inventory..." He placed the box behind him and attempted to grab his own ring in his back quills. He succeeded the second time. "There!" He cleared his throat and turned to the pink hedgehog. "Amy Rose..." He opened the box, revealing the blooming rose with the ring in the middle. "Will you marry me?"

She stared at the ring, mesmerised by the glistening blue topaz that reflected in the moonlight. She smiled brightly as the tears rolled down her cheeks. Reaching out, she stroked his cheek gently. "...No."

"Say what now?" The blue hedgehog was horrified. Did she just turn him down?

Amy closed the box and placed it aside. Her hand returned to his face to stroke his cheek again. "I love you. One day, I will be your wife. Right now, I think we need to take things slowly and enjoy what we have right now."

Damn, it hurt to be shot down. Nevertheless, he could see her point of view. 13 months ago, he had slept with her, no previous dates or signs of affection, just waltzed right up to her door, dropped the bomb on her and then literally bashed and dashed. Then they had a little fling behind Shadow's back before making their relationship official, only for that to last a month. Now they were back together.

He wasn't a mathmatician but add those particular days up and they had just over two months of loving one another. Okay, maybe this wasn't the best time to propose.

"Sonic?"

"I see your point, Ames. But I do want to us to be a family." He pulled her close to him. "Maybe have another kid or two... or three." He kissed her shoulder gently.

Amy giggled. "With Bolt's current sleep regression, you may just change your mind. Right now, he's like an advertisement for birth control."

"Harsh." He chuckled. Oh wait! Bolt! They needed to pick him up from Vanilla's house! He looked at his communicator for the time. "Damn, 9:43pm. We better go and get Bolt."

"Vanilla's having him overnight." She noticed his surprised expression and laughed. "I know, I'm totally over the separation anxiety at the moment." She joked. "But seriously, I didn't know how today was gonna go so I thought I'd buy us some time to..." She bit her lip, smirking at the thoughts in her mind.

Sonic raised an eyebrow at her, partially catching onto her thoughts. "To do what?"

"Get reacquainted." She turned to him.

"Oh..." He smirked at her. "So you have missed the big blue?"

"Call yourself that again and it's not happening." She joked. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "But yeah, I have missed you."

He readjusted her position so she was sitting on his lap. "I've missed you too." He kissed her tenderly, holding onto her round hips that he favoured so much. He felt her hands sliver into his quills, massaging them gently. The massage accelerated the oxytocin being released inside him, making him groan with pleasure. His enjoyable sounds excited her, Makin her deepen the kiss. She pushed him down onto the grass and straddled the blue hedgehog. He broke the kiss. "Whoa. Hold on. Are we gonna do this here, right now?"

"You have a problem with that, big blue?" Her voice was seductive. She kissed his neck, lowing his willpower even further than it currently was.

Who would have thought he would be the sensible one in a situation like this? Guess her mind was in the gutter this whole time. "No complaints here." She smashed her lips against his hungrily, dominating him with fiery passion. He could feel his mind slipping into an intoxicated state of euphoria with every moment she kissed him. Unfortunately for him, she pulled away. She smirked at him as she got off him and stood up. "Huh?" He was completely clueless now. What was she doing?

"I have spent so many years chasing you, Sonic the hedgehog. Now..." She turned away from him, looking back over her shoulder at her lover. "Now, you have to chase me."

"Is that so?" He grinned as he jumped to his feet. "Alright. Let's see just how fast the rose flows with the wind, shall we?" He allowed her to get a head start. He watched as she ran away from him, giggling with every step. She turned to face him in the distance. He couldn't see her completely but with the help of the moonlight peering into the open field, he could see her pulling down the straps of her dress. He chuckled softly to himself, grabbing the ring box. He smiled before placing it back in his quills.

She definitely caught him alright. Within a few moments, he was surely going to catch her too.


End file.
